Looking for balance
by pommedapi
Summary: Zoro and Sanji feel an unexpected attraction and they decide to test it. Between rebellion, desire and a crazy crew in love with adventures, how will evolve their relationship? Is it a new way of waging war or an opportunity to develop more complex feelings? In any case, there will be sparks. Between the two of them, it's always a matter of pride.
1. The spark

**LOOKING FOR BALANCE**

Zoro and Sanji feel an unexpected attraction and they decide to test it. Between rebellion, desire and a crazy crew in love with adventures, how will evolve their relationship? Is it a new way of waging war or an opportunity to develop more complex feelings? In any case, there will be sparks. Between the two of them, it's always a matter of pride.

Genres: Romance, Friendship, Action/Adventure, Humor

Information:

 **This story is a translation of my fiction** _ **En équilibre**_ **. This is a long one which is almost complete: 55 chapters posted by now. So be prepared.**

 **I tried to build realistic and ambitious couples in the midst of their wacky daily life so I took time to develop and go through many adventures to dig into characters' psychology.**

 **English isn't my native language and I don't speak it fluent either, it's like a challenge to me.** **I apologize for any spelling, conjugation or grammar mistakes you may find.**

I tried to respect as much as possible the characters' consistency and everything that happened until the end of the Thriller Bark arc.

Main pairing: Zoro/Sanji

Secondary pairing: Luffy/Nami

Disclaimer: Of course, I do not own One Piece and his characters. I do not get any commercial benefit and I thank the author for giving us permission to have fun with his masterpiece.

This is **rating M** for raw and vulgar language, violence and sex scenes (very suggested and/or explicit). Attention, these are scenes of homosexual relations between men and **I will not warn you at the beginning of each concerned chapter** for not spoiling them. Just so you know, there will be lemons now and then.

I'm thinking about **Typone Lady** who made me discover One Piece. If she hadn't made me read her stories, I wouldn't have been writing this. Thank you so much.

I would be delighted to have your opinion on my story so don't hesitate to leave me reviews.

Enjoy your reading.

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

 **The spark**

Sanji looked in the mirror. His eye was staring at him. He had enormous dark circles under his eyes and his skin was pale. He was exhausted. He sighed and tied his tie on his blue shirt, then checked to see if his suit wasn't wrinkled before leaving the bathroom.

It had been already more than two weeks since they had set sail once again after their adventures on Thriller Bark… Outside, the sun was barely rising and the morning air was fresh. He saw Robin a little farther, his eyes clear despite the end of her watch.

Back in his kitchen, he cooked the huge quantities necessary for the crew's breakfast thanks to his expert gestures and the force of the habit. He was enjoying a cigarette when his companions began to join him.

As usual, the meal was a perpetual battlefield where booty was counted as food and drinks in the midst of an indescribable chaos. This morning was no exception and Luffy had already swallowed half the dishes before the cook stop him in order to keep something for the others. Then the captain decided to serve himself in the plates around the table and soon enough, complaints was rising.

Sighing, Sanji decided to fight at least for his two goddesses' dishes and a fork was brushing an elastic hand when he brought their meals to Nami and Robin who thanked him. Chopper and Ussop were trying in vain to eat while watching their food. Franky was sipping his cola and Brook was competing with the straw hat boy about the amount of food he was swallowing up. Zoro came in a little later and also tried to eat, escaping the captain's arms while glaring at him.

As soon as the tornado of the crew dispersed in its various activities, Sanji washed the dishes and cleaned the kitchen. When he emerged from the room, the morning was pretty advanced and the blonde stretched.

He had just finished managing the first meal of the day. Two more were waiting for him. Not mentioning the captain's and crew's snacks. And refreshments. And sweets for Nami and Robin, even if this last task didn't bother him as much as the others. Fortunately, the cook loved his job and the straw hat crew's adventures brightened his life enough.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Luffy asking him a silenced question from the bridge and he shook firmly his head to dissuade him from begging so soon. A few moments later, he watched him laugh at the tiny fish that Ussop had just fished. A little farther, Franky was fixing up the ship's mast damaged by a previous storm, Brook was showing Chopper a few chords, Zoro was training, Robin was reading and Nami was focusing on her maps. An ordinary day.

But today was different. More precisely, yesterday had been different and today was strange.

Sanji leaned on the left rail and lit a cigarette. He hadn't slept the night before and he had a feeling that the day would be long. He blamed the marimo head who was behaving perfectly normally, busy sweating on the deck. Maybe, he had simply hallucinated…

The cook thought one more time at what had happened. When, how, why did it all begin, he had spent the whole night thinking about it.

In vain.

 _*Flashback*_

He remembered that he had kept thinking again and again about his ridiculous behavior against Kuma despite of Brook's reassuring words as soon as they left Thriller Bark. He felt diminished in front of the idiot marimo who had sacrificed himself and quite naturally, his resentment against himself had turned into anger against the swordsman.

Zoro was such an obvious rival. He had been relieved to know that he was alive at the time, but although he had admired his courage and resistance, the more he thought about it, the more his traitorous attitude came back in his mind. Why had he knocked him out? As if he wasn't as important as him for the World Government. As if he wouldn't have been able to live up to it. As if his friendship for Luffy didn't count as much.

After the euphoria of victory, he had spent the first days at sea chewing in the kitchen while Zoro recovered thanks to Chopper's excellent care. And thanks to an unexpected luck.

The crew's doctor kept the swordsman in the infirmary. Despite his threats, he was only allowed one or two hours a day out on the deck and the reindeer regularly jumped over him to replace bandages that the man was taking away right after. His body had been extremely bruised and despite his extraordinary recovery, his wounds had been so severe that Chopper had wanted to take no risk.

Then, when Zoro had resumed his training without anyone knowing, it had been the last straw.

He was the one who had discovered it. He brought him his meals in the infirmary at the doctor's request and on that day, he had found him in balance on an arm, doing push-ups. Too angry to worry about his rival's wounds, he hadn't resisted and had sent him a blow that made him crashed on the ground. Furious, Zoro had tried to catch his swords against the wall to defend himself but Sanji had been faster and had already moved them away.

"You're such a bastard," he had said, clearly annoyed.

Of course, the swordsman hadn't understood and he had stared him wide-eyed. Sanji had sighed and had deigned to explain the obvious.

"You came close to death a week ago. Don't you think you could take a break in your suicidal program?"

Zoro had shrugged his shoulders.

"I feel good."

The cook had raised his eyes to heaven. Not content with having endured the worst pains, he taunted him by resuming his iron discipline so quickly. This idiot probably didn't care of his own life and that was his problem but what really bothered Sanji was that he had no idea of the wound he had inflicted on him. To his ego.

He had put down his plate and had left without another word.

End of the first act. Until the next day.

* * *

Zoro was waiting wisely on his bed and the blonde had thought his little speech had had some effect but it wasn't the case. He had watched him approaching with a smile from ear to ear and Sanji had understood something was wrong even before the swordsman had opened his mouth.

"You didn't tell Chopper I was training."

Strangely, it was true. He didn't know why. Yet it would have been a good excuse for the doctor to give him a beating.

"You really want me to die, right?"

Sanji had looked at him with perplexity. He had had proof that the stupid musclehead didn't understand anything.

"If I tell you to rest, you conclude that it is because I want you to die?"

It was the most illogical thing Zoro could have said after all the time they had spent together but the cook was almost not astonished.

"Yeah. You knocked my shoulder off and I couldn't tell Chopper because he would have killed me for training. So I had choice between dying from the doc's hands or from pain by shutting my trap. I conclude you want me to die and there's not even a doubt about it."

The blonde had gravely stared at him.

"If I wanted to kill you, I wouldn't have tried to interfere between you and Kuma, you idiot."

"Don't give me that shit, it's not for me that you did that."

Sanji hadn't added a thing. After all, he wasn't wrong. At least, not entirely. Zoro had sat up slowly, his wounds probably more painful than he wanted to say and he had leaned over to the cook who had placed his plate next to him.

"You can't bear that I'm still there, do you?" he had said with a mocker voice.

The cook had frozen and the swordsman had carried on.

"You can't stand that I'm better than you."

Sanji had turned slowly towards him and had stared at him with a hard face.

"You haven't the slightest idea of what I think so shut the fuck up."

He had been out very naturally.

End of the second act.

* * *

Yesterday, last act.

A few days had passed. Sanji had continued to bring him his plate once or twice a day without exchanging a word while another crew's member took care of the other meals. Zoro was getting better and Chopper was going to allow him to reappear among the living from one day to the next.

That day, the crew had stopped on a tiny and visibly deserted island that wouldn't take long to explore. The cook had been appointed to supervise the boat and he had been busy in kitchen for quite some time, happy to be able to get ahead and not being cut off in his job for once.

Towards noon, he had knocked at the infirmary door and had found the swordsman meditating on the floor. He had noiselessly put down his plate and had been about to come out when the other had called out to him.

"Where are we?" he had asked.

"Not on the island we were aiming at, but probably not far off. This one is so small that it isn't listed according to Nami and Robin doesn't know it either. They left to explore it but we should leave this evening."

With a smile, Zoro had gotten up, had grabbed his plate and had gone out on the deck before Sanji could make a gesture. He had followed him outside and had found him eating on the ground, leaning against the mast in the sun. As he had approached, the swordsman had frowned.

"I know what you're gonna say but I don't need a babysitter", he had warned him with a threatening air.

Sanji hadn't replied immediately but he had felt the anger stepping up to the next level. Zoro always annoyed him pretty much and since their last conversation, it was even worse.

"Do you ever stop believing you know what I fucking think?" he had replied, staring at him.

"And you, when are you going to acknowledge that I'm right?"

"What's so fucking important to you?" had shouted the blonde. "Being the best? Crushing the others?!"

"Of course!" Zoro had replied as if Sanji had lost his mind. "I want to be the best swordsman of the world, I remind you!"

"What the hell are you talking about? You won't be the best swordsman of the world if you propose to die all the time, you moron!" the cook had sharply pointed out.

Zoro had grasped the allusion but he had shrugged his shoulders.

"At least I would have tried then."

Sanji had stared at him for a second before feeling the rage overwhelming him.

"I know very well what you had to bear for saving Luffy", he had spat in a dark voice. "I was the one who took you back and the Risky brothers told me everything. Why didn't you let me do it? You think you're so much better than the others or is it your dream which isn't that important after all?!"

Zoro had seriously studied him with a look as hard as stone.

"It was not your place", he had replied calmly.

"What?! You bastard! Who the fuck do you think you are?!"

The swordsman hadn't had the time to react: the cook had gone wild and he had sent him flying against the Sunny's balustrade, his plate smashing to the ground. Zoro had risen quickly and had look daggers at him. Then, he had thrown himself upon him in return, all his swords dancing around him.

The fight had been rough and the damages had accumulated quickly on the boat. Sanji couldn't have told if it was because they hadn't fought for several days or simply because of anger but he hadn't hold back his attacks despite the opponent's state who had returned blow for blow.

After a moment, Sanji's foot had been blocked by two swords and Zoro had looked at him with a mocking smile.

"Too susceptible, stupid cook," he had snickered.

The blond had got rid of Zoro's weapons and had sent it back on the ground.

"Too weak, stupid swordsman," he had replied.

The fencer had struggled to regain the upper hand and Sanji had to stick on the kitchen door to avoid one of his blades. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Zoro had jumped on him and had dragged him into his fall when the door had shattered under their weight. They both had got up quickly, furious not to prevail over the other.

"This is stupid", the cook had said, putting his clothes in order. "I know I'm worthy, I don't need your opinion."

He had been so fucking tired. This guy was unbearable and he was literally fuming just watching him.

"You give up?" had asked the swordsman, interested.

"Not even in your dreams!"

The cook had sent him a burst of kicks and Zoro had protected himself as best as he could before replying with swords in his direction. At the end, the blade had touched Sanji's jacket and he had jumped at the contact too close to his arm. Furious, he had thrown a chair on the swordsman who had had no choice but to cut it before it reached him.

"Shitty swordsman! A brand new jacket!" he had yelled, rushing at him again.

Zoro had frown, surprised. Sanji had been blinded by anger and he had acted openly, something that wasn't like him. He had lost all his composure and the swordsman had only had to take advantage of it by giving him a slight trip. The blond had lost his balance and Zoro had held him prisoner against the wall, his sword under his throat.

"You're getting slack, darts eyebrow", he had noticed with a satisfied smile.

Sanji had remained hysterical and the sword against his neck hadn't calmed him down. He had gesticulated and had hurled the worst insults at the swordsman who had finally removed his blade, put it away, and put a hand on the cook's mouth with a scowl.

"Fucking hell, can't you just shut up?" he had growled. "You're such a sore loser."

Sanji had stopped after several minutes. He had had no air with the swordsman's hand who prevented him from breathing and from which he couldn't get free but his eyes had carried on threaten him with the worst possible pains. Finally, Zoro had removed his hand and the cook had been able to resume his breath, breathing short.

That was when the unthinkable had happened. The swordsman had replaced his hand by his mouth on his lips, pressing him even more violently against the wall. And then, as unlikely as it could be, Sanji had replied to his gesture. If Zoro thought he would give up by dragging him towards the unknown, he would bark up the wrong tree. Whatever the provocation would be, he would always answer. His ego didn't allow him to loose even the smallest piece of land in front of his opponent. Rather being dead than retreating in front of the marimo head.

Another battle had begun, always for the power of one over the other. Zoro had used his weight to hold him against the wall but Sanji had succeeded in destabilizing him by biting him hard on his lip, which had made him step back, looking annoyed, and a trickle of blood dripping from his mouth.

The cook had taken the opportunity to roughly push him on the opposite wall, taking control. While their tongues resumed their battle, Sanji had lowered his hands against the wall on either side of the swordsman's waist to keep him at his mercy. However, when he had ventured to kiss and bite his neck, Zoro had put his hands under his shirt and the contact that had electrified him had made him lost his ascendancy. The swordsman had wrapped his arms around his waist to hold him before pushing him back abruptly until the blonde hits the table with his back. He had then propelled himself against him, throwing him over the wooden surface and imprisoning him under his body.

At this time, Sanji had remembered that he had already lost a fight and that he didn't want a second defeat. He had therefore used his hands against the swordsman's back to scratch him and get free while their mouths met again savagely. Yet when he had seen Zoro getting rid of his tee-shirt and pull off his own shirt and tie before throwing himself on his chest, he had thought that perhaps, the winner wasn't the one he believed.

And he had begun to loose himself in more pleasant sensations despite the swordsman's bites on his belly and his hands which prevented him from moving. He had lost all notion of time until Zoro had suddenly helped him up to get rid of his last clothes before sending him back on the table immediately. His naked skin had suffered from the rough contact of the wood against his back and he had risen up, furious at himself for being so passive and so receptive at the same time.

The fencer had seemed as little connected to the world as him, which had reassured him somehow. Concentrate, the desire that darkened his gaze had made him bestial and directive, reinforcing their sense of competition.

The need to measure each other had not left them for a second. This fight of a different kind was still a matter of honor.

No one had backed down.

 _*End of flash-back*_

Sanji emerged from his thoughts, blushing. In vain did he recount the events in his mind, he didn't understand what had happened and even if Zoro had launched the hostilities, he couldn't deny that he hadn't left without further ado. His anger didn't explain everything, neither did their rivalry, and he was now terribly uncomfortable. No idea of this kind had ever crossed his mind, either with the swordsman or with a man. Did his need to compete with his rival was going so far? To the point of letting himself lead on such ground? To the point of taking the risk of twisting a little more their bubbling relationship?

Focused on his desire not to lose face, he had been embarked on Zoro's abrupt caresses who had gradually given way to pleasure. When he had realized it, his body eagerly demanded his own and his reason had pissed off.

The blonde contracted his jaw. The fencer had won on all counts. Again. He had taken control, he had taken ownership of the cook's body, imposing his place and his rhythm. Sanji had just thought of questioning him when he had seen that he wasn't taking any precautions at the fateful moment and Zoro had just pointed out in a hoarse breath that Chopper was following them enough not to worry. And he had taken his word for it.

It was downright scary when he thought about it and he wondered for a moment whether or not he had been poisoned or bewitched. However, the most logical hypothesis being often the best, he had to admit that they had certainly got carried away by their emotions and that they had been put down in an unknown land.

On top of that, this land was painful and Sanji sighed while gently stretching his back. He had thought he was going to faint this morning when he had straightened up but he preferred to grit his teeth rather than someone notices something.

Nevertheless, it was a shooting pain which was twisting his back. He should have suspected it when remembering what he had first felt but the tension he had tested out at that moment had needed an end. At this time, Zoro had compelled him to calm down, forcing on his arms to prevent him from moving. Initially rebelling against this attitude he had taken for a further dominance, Sanji had attempted to stir in all directions despite the pain. The fencer had strengthened his grip on him and had plunged his impenetrable gaze into his own, finally making him stop. They had remained still for a few moments, the breath short and painful for the blond who had gradually realized that the suffering was flowing back. Zoro had then started to move again and the next few minutes had been so delicious that Sanji had forgotten what he was imposing to himself…

Being back to reality had been just as brutal as everything else. After the wave of pleasure that had submerged them, they had suddenly realized what had just happened and especially, with whom. Zoro had lost no time and he had disappeared as soon as he had found his clothes, only glancing once at him. Sanji had had a hard time straightening up, and even more accepting what they had shared. He had slipped on his own clothes with mechanical gestures before trying to put things right in the room.

Sighing, the cook walked slowly towards his kitchen to begin preparations for the next meal. At least, the swordsman didn't act weirdly with him since yesterday and for once, he had suffered Nami's recriminations on their infantile behavior when she had discovered the ship's condition on her return feeling almost relieved and Zoro had obtained permission from a desperate Chopper to resume a normal life.

This string of events remained incomprehensible for the cook and he was eager to banish it from his memory. He didn't imagine for a second that this episode was anything other than a moment of confusion on his part and seeing the swordsman's behavior, he seemed to have the same opinion. Fortunately.

* * *

The same evening, Nami announced during dinner that they would reach the next island the next day. An autumnal or even winter island judging by the climate established for several hours. Fishman Island was no longer on the agenda since the storm they had suffered three days earlier had thrown them several hundred kilometers away from their trajectory after several necessary Coups de Burst for their survival. True to his optimism, the captain had decreed that it was Grand Line adventures' destiny and that they would enter the New World by another way to better find the island later. The cook and the skeleton had been the most disappointed not to meet the sirens they had imagined the one more beautiful than the next as quickly as they thought before finally being catch up with Luffy's enthusiasm.

Robin explained to them that Nerwa's Island was a hilly and mountainous island whose population was gathered on the coasts where temperatures were milder. Normally, there was nothing special except a small marine base that it would be necessary to avoid during the time the Log Pose recharges.

When the night fell, Sanji settled down on the bridge as he had first watch. His lack of sleep wouldn't be caught up anytime soon and he was dropping from exhaustion. He didn't like the cold because it stiffened his aching muscles but it also helped him staying awake and he slumped onto the seat behind the helm. He took out a cigarette and lit it before bringing it to his lips. The sea was calm and the stars sparkled in the sky.

He should have felt good with his friends on the Sunny but he felt in a melancholy mood. Nights like these reminded him of the hours he had spent gazing at the stars, lost with that shitty geezer Zeff in the middle of the sea. And that inevitably brought him back to his dream.

The All Blue. Did he only have a chance to catch sight of it, busy running on Grand Line or fighting to save his life? And at the same time, where else could he look for it? And with who? Certainly the straw hat's crew members were the best to accompany him in this quest. What other crew could boast on grouping together members with such unusual dreams?

Ussop and his ambitions of courage and glory.

Nami and her pencil ready to assault the world map.

Zoro and his willpower to be the best swordsman.

Chopper and his wish to cure all diseases.

Robin and her hope to discover history through a lost language.

Franky and his desire to travel the seas on his creation.

Brook and his determination to see a whale again.

And of course, Luffy and his obsession to become King of the Pirates.

Finally, discovering a legendary ocean didn't seem so difficult in the midst of all these unlikely objectives…

Sanji wrapped himself up a little more in the blanket he had brought. Yes, if he were to find the All Blue one day, it would be with these degenerates.

His family.

* * *

 _Hope you liked it and my English isn't too bad._

 _Next chapters are built differently, this is more of a prologue here: this chapter is exclusively from Sanji's point of view but it won't always be like this. There will be an omniscient point of view (external), Zoro's point of view and more rarely the other crew members' point of view._

 _If you're tempted to pursue the adventure (or not), don't hesitate to leave me a little review._


	2. Indecent proposal

_Thanks to 12 and ACloudyCat for your reviews._

 _Thanks for your alerts/favorites._

 _Enjoy your reading._

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

 **Indecent proposal**

Nerwa Island exposed itself to the view in the early afternoon, bathed by a faint autumnal light. Its high snow-capped mountains contrasted with its verdant sides. The only lower portions of land were spreading along the sea where the houses were gathered and the harbor accommodated a few ships but it was relatively deserted, which suited the straw hat's crew.

"Weather isn't that fine", said Nami, annoyed. "I hope no storm will strike the island while we're here…"

Then, she allocated roles to everyone. Franky and Zoro would go to stock up cola, Sanji and Ussop the food, Chopper and Luffy the drugs, Brook would watch over the boat and Robin and herself would look for a bank to exchange their treasures for real hard cash.

"Remember, the Marines' base isn't far away so no fight and no trouble! We meet again on the Sunny in four hours."

The cook looked blissfully at the beautiful navigator who was going away before Ussop elbowed him towards the market.

The market was small but there were good quality local products and Sanji took advantage of it to refill up with meat and food of all kinds thanks to the money Nami had given him. He didn't know how long they should hold until the next island so he took everything worthwhile.

Ussop was following him the best he could between the stalls, his arms loaded with enormous bags which blocked his sight. Moreover, the blonde stopped in front of every woman who passed by him to make sheep's eyes at her and the sniper almost lost him more than once. Finally, Sanji judged that they had finished and they headed back to the boat.

* * *

While walking, they met Franky and Zoro who were also heading back to the harbor with their arms full of cola. Then they went past a cutlery shop where magnificent kitchen knives glowed on display.

Sanji approached, fascinated. His own knives were beginning to date and those ones seemed of superior quality. He walked into the shop while his companions were waiting outside and Ussop collapsed on the ground, dead tired.

The cook examined the knives carefully and nearly fainted when a charming brunette offered to help him. Batting his eyelashes, he drank every one of her word during many minutes until someone patted his shoulder unpleasantly.

"We need to move, it's time."

"Can't you see I'm busy, marimo!" immediately got mad the blond.

"Hey, stay calm, stupid eyebrows!"

"Or what?"

"Or I blow up your cheap perverted head!"

Sanji stopped himself from flinging his foot in his teeth. He didn't want to create any unpleasantness to the lovely saleswoman who stared at them, dumbfounded.

"A thousand pardons, delightful creature. My rude comrade doesn't know any courtesy.

"It-It's OK", she stammered before handing him the knives' set he had chosen.

The cook gave out the money he owed her before bowing before her and going to the exit. The swordsman followed him and they found themselves on the square again. The sun was high in the sky but it didn't really warm up the atmosphere and there was a chill in the air.

"It's about time, what the fuck were you doing back there?" Franky grumbled.

"It was this stupid fool who was sweet-talking to the saleswoman", Zoro growled.

"Again?" sighed the cyborg.

"Shut the fuck up, you two", the blond threatened, lighting a cigarette. "This young girl had a not insignificant expertise."

"You bet!" Zoro snickered. "What expertise? In plunging neckline to lure the first moron who passes by?"

This time, Sanji sent his foot into his chest, causing him to step back under the blow's power. A second later, Zoro threw his swords against him, forcing the cook to dodge by moving abruptly. Then he went back on the attack and stopped the blades a few inches from his face thanks to his right leg. He stuck his cigarette butt a bit more between his lips, furious.

"You're gonna regret your words, greenie."

"You're gonna swallow yours, stupid cook."

The two men charged in and disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Ussop spun around them, close to panic.

"Stop it! Nami is going to exterminate us!"

As neither of them heard him, he turned towards the cyborg.

"Franky, do something!" he cried out.

"Like what?" he said, shrugging his shoulders. "I don't want to get beaten up, they're running wild."

"It's not true! Tell me it's not true!" moaned the sniper, watching Zoro avoid a kick and Sanji bending down when a sword brushed past him.

* * *

"Well, what's going on?" asked Robin, seeing a small troop forming at the back of the market.

The bank didn't have much cash and the two young women had exchanged only some treasures but the navigator had still sparkling eyes. She glanced quickly and shrugged her shoulders.

"Certainly it's two morons who are knocking on each other. I bet that…"

Nami stared at her friend, a bad feeling suddenly assailing her.

"If one of them has already made an enemy…"

"Let's go and see", the archaeologist suggested.

The two young women made their way through the crowd of curious people who had gathered and at last, they traced the source of the clamor. When Ussop saw them, he yelled and hid behind Franky.

"It's not me, Nami, I swear! I tried to stop them but they can't control themselves, they can't help it!"

The navigator felt that she was losing her temper. Unable to remain quiet a few hours without making a fuss! She was going to put an end to the fight when a huge hand came crashing down on her shoulder.

"What's going on here? Who are you?"

Ussop turned pale and Nami shuddered. The Marine… A small squad of twenty officers. She had to get rid of them without making waves.

"Our friends have drunk a little too much but they're not mean", she replied in her most assured voice. "We'll go away, don't worry, officer."

"It is forbidden to disturb public order", reminded the man, staring at the two ragmen who hadn't stopped fighting.

"That's exactly what we keep telling them!" exclaimed Ussop to support the navigator. "Zoro, Sanji! We need to go now!"

Nami stared at the sniper with horror and he realized his mistake.

"Who?" the officer repeated, fixing his gaze on him.

"No one! No one!" the young man stammered.

"Chief! One of the individuals is an extremely wanted pirate! The other doesn't have any wanted poster but I think he's part of the same crew!" cried out an officer as he approached.

The man wrested the wanted poster in question from the hand of his underling.

"The Straw Hat's crew", he said with a smile while Nami and Ussop were retreating as discreetly as possible. "Yo-

"Run!" screamed the navigator as she ran away, Robin, Ussop and Franky hurling behind her.

Some officers began to chase them but the majority regrouped instantly around the two fighters as the crowd moved away with terror.

"You are under arrest!" shouted the squad's leader in the last two present members' ears.

The ones finally agreed to take a look at their environment and they found that they were surrounded by naval officers who were holding them at gunpoint.

"How did it happen?" growled the swordsman while repositioning his swords towards his new enemies.

"How the hell would I know?" replied the cook behind his back.

"They're very few."

"It will be quick."

Zoro made swirl his swords, a cheerful smile on his lips, and the Marines moved back. They knew the bounty's amount for the former pirate hunter and they were afraid of not measuring up, even in the justice's name…

The swordsman threw himself into the pile and in two blows of his three blades, the group disintegrated. Meanwhile, Sanji got rid of the squad's other half in a clear and precise kick, leaving the leader horrified and alone in front of his decimated troop.

"All mouth and no trousers", Zoro grumbled, disappointed.

"Don't be so sure."

A new troop was arriving by the harbor while another one approached them by the north of the market.

"We're parting ways", the cook decided. "Rendezvous at the Sunny."

The swordsman nodded and ran to the closest officers, jumping cleverly from one obstacle to another to better avoid them. In the meantime, Sanji speeded towards the opposite road.

* * *

"I'm gonna kill you both!" yelled the navigator, held by Chopper and Ussop who was crying at his feet.

The four hunted pirates had got to the Sunny after having got rid themselves of the few officers who had followed them. Then they had to set off quickly, their presence disclosed. Fortunately, Luffy and Chopper were already on their way back when they had jumped on deck and Sanji had turned up a few minutes later but the swordsman was still missing. Obviously, he had failed to find the harbor.

"It's bad luck that they bumped into the Marine!" said the captain, being philosophical.

"It's because of their stupid bickering!" Ussop sniffed as he watched the land go away.

"I'm sorry, Nami-san", the cook apologized wholeheartedly. "This cactus head drives me crazy…"

"What are we gonna do for Zoro?" asked the little reindeer, worried. "He's still convalescent…"

"He's got to know how to get by in life!" shouted the redhead, still furious.

"Without wishing to question his abilities, I doubt he will find us", Robin intervened. "Especially since we can't stay here."

Silence took place a few moments before the navigator spoke again in an icy voice.

"Very well. Sanji, you go and get him. We're going to drive around the island and get you back in the west creek. The Log-Pose will be recharged by tomorrow at noon, so you have time to cross."

"I can go!" exclaimed Luffy, overflowing with excitement.

"What next?!" barked the navigator. "Two morons on their own, you'll end up at Impel Down before tomorrow morning! That's Sanji who takes the job!"

"But Nami-san…"

"It's your fault what happened then you're the one who's going to look for him! And you better hurry up because the weather gets stormy!" she yelled before throwing him overboard.

* * *

The cook wringed his soaked jacket before putting it back on his shoulders and the cool wind made him shiver because of his wet clothes. He extricated his pack of cigarettes of his pocket which dripped between his hands and he sent it to the first trash he found. What a fool this swordsman! Because of him, his precious Nami-san was angry and he was forced to go and get him while the city was in turmoil and Marines' officers were swarming in the streets…

Sanji bypassed the main roads and quickly went away from the city to stay out of sight. Anyway, Zoro wasn't stupid enough to stay in the middle of the crowd and knowing him, he probably moved away thinking he was getting closer to his goal…

* * *

"What a bastard!"

Sanji discovered the marimo head sleeping peacefully under a tree at the edge of the forest and he didn't refrain from waking him up with a well-placed kick. In return, a blade brushed against his right cheek before the sleeper recognized the blonde.

"Fuck, you're totally insane! I almost skewered you!"

"Stand up, you idiot! How can you sleep in such a moment?! Because of your bullshit, we must cross the island now!"

Zoro put away his swords and started walking. He saw that the cook was particularly angry but he didn't worry too much about it.

"If you hadn't provoked me…" he began.

"Shut up, moron! And you, were you obliged to run away this far to escape from the Marine?!"

"I didn't run away! I took them out and I raced down to a street to reach the harbor but all of you had disappeared!"

"Dammit, I've been looking for you for a whole hour! I had to make at least 15 kilometers!"

"And why did you come to look for me if you're so annoyed?" the swordsman replied, irritated.

"Because you think that I had the choice?! Nami-san was so angry she sent me looking for you as a punishment if you want to know!"

The silence fell again, only disturbed by the noise of their walk and the birds' song of the forest which lined the road.

"What's the plan?" Zoro finally asked.

"They moved the boat to the other side of the island to escape the Marines. We'll join them in the west creek. By then, the Log-Pose will be reloaded and we'll get the hell out of here."

"Is it far?"

"At least 10 hours' walk."

The swordsman sighed. He felt hunger coming. He hadn't eaten since noon and he assumed Sanji hadn't taken anything either.

* * *

They kept walking and a good two hours passed by without either of the two men opening their mouths. Sanji searched the sky with apprehension. The navigator's forecasts seemed to be accurate because the sky quickly clouded over with thick gray and black clouds. The cook quickened his pace but soon, the fog came down on the valley, completely blocking the view beyond two meters. Sanji fumed. In this real pea soup, it was too easy to get lost. The dirt road was barely visible and a cold wind was rising from the mountain's side. The blonde began to pray that it wouldn't snow.

After a few minutes of slow motion's walk, a light and icy rain began to fall and the cook decided to look for a shelter but he couldn't see anything apart from the first trees on either side of the stony road. The island was nearly deserted except for a few coastal villages as Robin had told them and he doubted anyway to find anything in this mist. As the wind strengthened and the temperature dropped, Sanji turned to the swordsman who followed him a few steps behind.

"We have to find something or we're going to end up frozen!" he shouted to be heard over the wind.

"Okay."

The two men positioned themselves on either side of the road, hoping to see a makeshift shelter along the way and they slowly went on to move forward. While observing the surroundings, the cook was careful not to lose sight of the swordsman. He was able to just vanish in a second and if there was one thing that Sanji didn't want, it was to have to look again for this stupid marimo.

Another hour stretched out and nightfall darkened a little more the small sight they had left. Soon, Sanji noticed with anguish that he no longer felt his hands and he struck them vigorously against one another to make the blood circulate. The light rain had changed into sleet but no snow had fallen. On the other hand, the cold wind chilled his bones and he had the impression that his hair had frozen into stalactites. At last, the cook thought he could see the outline of a small building overlooking above the trees and he made a sign to the swordsman for him to follow.

Arrived in front of the door locked, the blond kicked in the doorframe that didn't resist. Relieved, he rushed into what turned out to be a stable obviously disused for several years. Apart from small enclosures covered with aged straw, a corner contained rusty tools and milled wood's old pieces.

Sanji wasn't going to complain, he didn't have the strength to do it. Between the last two days' tiredness and the cold, he felt totally numb. He cautiously leaned back against an enclosure's fence, his whole body throbbing in pain.

Zoro inspected the place from every angle and used a few wood's pieces that didn't crumble into dust to fill the icy air stream at best before sitting down near the cook who had closed his eyes.

"You're cold", he finally noticed, seeing his blue lips and the man's shaking limbs beside him.

"Yeah. I have to say, a suit isn't cold-adapted for the mountain", replied the blonde with amusement without being able to keep his teeth from chattering.

"I'll make a fire."

"With what?" Sanji asked, surprised.

The swordsman didn't reply, sneaking out again. Closing his eyes for a few seconds to try to control his tremors, he reopened them with a start as Zoro came back with his arms full of logs and twigs. He must have dozed off for a moment without realizing it. Or fall into hypothermia.

To keep himself awake, he looked at the swordsman who was putting down the wood, not far from him but at a safe distance from the walls and then he laid down stones all around to define a fireplace. After having borrowed his lighter which had survived his time in the water from the cook, he had to persist for long minutes before the humidity gave way and for the first flames to rear up timidly.

Zoro sat down again near his companion in adventure who stretched out his hands towards the small heat source slowly expanding. After a few moments, the latter grimaced and squeezed his reddened limbs.

"Damn, I hate the cold."

"Yeah, it's freezing", confirmed the swordsman.

Sanji examined his fingers, visibly worried. They were painful and their color wasn't quite usual. No, he couldn't have damaged his hands…

"What?" asked Zoro, who had noticed his behavior.

"Nothing."

The cook tried to shake himself off but his body was still numb and his stiff clothes were freezing his body. He forced himself to take his jacket off and put it down near the fire so that it warmed up. As soon as it was enough, he took it again and used it as a makeshift cover. His pack of cigarettes missed him terribly.

He glanced at the swordsman who had set down his blades and closed his eyes with a concentrated expression. He was in tee-shirt but didn't seem to suffer from the cold. Sanji settled as best as he could against the fence. He heard the wind roaring outside and sank back into his jacket before closing his eyes in his turn and sinking into sleep.

* * *

The blonde woke up a few hours later. The fire was still crackling and he felt better. He stretched and noticed that the swordsman hadn't move. Deciding to take a few steps, he stood up and noted through the window with disappointment that the snow had begun to fall in its turn into small whirlpools, covering the ground with a white, icy film. He searched in his pocket and felt the honey cakes' bag he had bought earlier for his mellorines. He examined it. The packaging seemed to have protected the cakes from his stay in the water, it was unexpected.

"Marimo."

Sanji approached to shake the swordsman but abruptly take his hand out from his arm. He was stone-cold dead.

"Fuck, you're freezing!"

"It's okay."

"Yeah, right."

The cook handed him half the cakes' bag.

"That's all I have."

"Thanks."

After their small snack, Sanji sat back down again near the fire before contemplating the swordsman for a moment and then, giving a hint of a smile that the other noticed.

"What?"

"Nothing. I was just thinking that it's been a while since I hadn't wanted to kick your ass. Several hours, can you imagine?"

"Yeah. Same for me."

"It seems that a good storm isn't only inconvenient. Even if it's really too cold…"

The cook relapsed into the fire's contemplation when he felt Zoro getting closer to him. He glanced at him, inquiring, before noticing the spark into his eyes.

"I know a way to warm ourselves up", the swordsman said in a conversation-style.

Sanji jumped before staring at him. What had happened was a mishap and if they hadn't spoken about it, it was precisely because it made them feel uncomfortable and the swordsman thought the same thing… Wasn't it?

"You do realize what you're saying?" the blonde frowned.

"What? Don't tell me you didn't like last time, I don't believe you."

"That's not it, marimo", replied the cook, blushing in spite of himself. "It's just… not normal what happened."

"Not normal?"

Zoro looked suspiciously at him for a moment.

"Are you homophobic?"

Sanji felt his eyes widen, stunned.

"But where'd you get that notion?! I never said anything like this!"

"You said it wasn't normal."

"Yeah, it wasn't normal in the sense that we spend our lives knocking each other for ages and one day, we end up getting laid on the boat!"

"Oh, that."

Sanji rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, "that", as you say, is not nothing."

"Why?"

"Why?" repeated the blond with annoyance. "Well, because it doesn't look like me! Maybe for you it's a usual thing but for me, it was my first time!"

"What?!"

The swordsman stared at him with dread and Sanji sighed loudly.

"Don't make that face, moron. This wasn't my first time with a person, it was the first time I let a guy approach me like that and especially in these conditions. It disturbs me, it makes sense."

"So it was your first time with a man?"

The blond considered the question for a moment. He could always lie to him but would it do him any good anyway? The swordsman must have noticed…

"Yeah, it was the first time…"

Zoro seemed to think about it for a second before he spoke again.

"At the same time, I should have suspected it. You're always running after girls and I found your way of doing it odd but we were also half fighting then…"

Sanji sighed again. Not only he was humiliated, he was feeling really stupid now. The Sunday swordsman had apparently satisfied his urges without thinking and he had quietly let him do it, even offering him to be the first to get his body in this field…

"I didn't know. Otherwise, I wouldn't have done it."

The cook raised his head, surprised.

"Is that so? What does it matter to you?" he asked.

"Nothing but knowing you, I understand better why you're so much on edge. I guess you didn't plan that."

"Because you, you had planned it?" the blonde snapped.

"No, but I don't regret it. It happened and we enjoyed then no need for drama here."

"You've got to be kidding!" choked the cook. "So far, you yelled at me your disgust on each occasion and now that we've bang each other, it makes no difference to you?!"

"So far, I had never wanted to fuck you, that's the difference."

"And do you think that makes sense?!"

"Don't worry, I haven't lost the desire to slap you."

Zoro gave him a provocative smile and Sanji focused on the flames, dismayed. Everything seemed so simple in this idiot's mind, it was utterly unfair. Unfair and incomprehensible. Finally, he transferred his attention to the other man who was also contemplating the fire. Since they were sharing…

"It wasn't the first time for you, am I wrong?" he inquired.

"No."

"What about women?"

The swordsman shrugged his shoulders.

"Also. But less often."

Sanji shook his head, flabbergasted.

"If I had been told, I would never have believed it."

"What?" Zoro asked, turning his head towards him.

"I thought you were more self-sufficient in this area", the blonde explained. "Kind of sleep-eat-train, nothing else matters."

"That's true most of the time. But if a person like me and I like her, it's perfect. That's all."

"I see. No feeling in there."

"What for?"

"You can be so rude!" the cook grumbled. "You never fell in love?"

"I don't think so."

"Yeah, you've never been. You would know otherwise."

"Why? Is it that good?"

Sanji stared at him, not daring to believe what he had just heard.

"Of course, stupid swordsman!"

"And how do you know? You've already been in love maybe?" answered back the swordsman, cut to the quick.

"I am in love with all the women I see!"

"You don't know anything either", Zoro snickered. "That's not how it works."

"What do you know?"

"Everybody knows it."

Sanji shrugged and closed his eyes in search of a little sleep. This conversation with the marimo had taken an unexpected turn and he wanted to put an end to it as quickly as possible. It was without counting on the so-called marimo who spoke again.

"Even if it's not normal, I'm still in to do it again."

Sanji reopened his eyes, stunned. He glanced at him and the look he gave him made him shiver in spite of the flames. It was a look filled with desire and challenge. A predator's look. Then his owner gently approached the half-lying cook's body and the latter swallowed, forcing himself to straighten to not lose composure.

"What the hell are you doing, marimo head?" he asked him in an uncertain voice.

"Just stop me if you don't like it."

Zoro left him one second of thinking during which the blond remained dumbfounded before pressing him against his body with a firm gesture. His lips brutally crashed into his, claiming their contact. The cook noticed that the swordsman had recovered his normal temperature when he felt his hot fingers go off to explore his back under his jacket and shirt. It was nice, he couldn't deny it and his own body seemed to want to enjoy it. Then he slipped his hands under the swordsman's tee-shirt, moving him a little closer to him while the latter voraciously leaned closer to his neck.

He didn't know how long had passed but he regained consciousness of the events when Zoro pushed him on the ground to increase his touches. Sanji opened his eyes with anguish and felt his breathing getting snarled up as the same time his muscles were stiffening. What was he doing? He wasn't going to get caught by this brute again! He brutally straightened up and pushed aside the swordsman's body who, surprised, didn't refuse to follow the movement however.

"It's not… I don't want to", stammered the blonde, moving aside from him.

Zoro didn't answer but a smirk stretched his lips. The cook eased his panting breath by concentrating on the flames in front of him and he mentally thanked the swordsman for keeping his word regarding his decision because his will wasn't as strong as he would have liked. He felt his heart racing at the previous minutes' memory and he knew that he only had to make a move to prolong this state but he couldn't bring himself to do it.

What was going into him in the end? He had never been attracted to this idiot, he had never thought he was handsome or tall or strong or anything pleasant. So why did he tend to let himself go?

Sanji felt a chill go back up along his spine. Something was wrong but he didn't know what and he was too tired to be able to think about it now.

This new behavior between them was too unseemly, too difficult to comprehend. He didn't understand why the swordsman's contact didn't disgust him like it had always been the case. Okay, they didn't always hate each other, the beginning of their cohabitation wasn't so bad but very quickly, a rivalry had developed, tinting all their exchanges with provocations, blows and insults, probably masking the deep respect they had for each other.

The sudden change of their relationship excessively disrupted Sanji, all the more since it didn't seem to bother the man at his side. As if he didn't care about their lives' coherence since the beginning of their adventures with the straw hat's crew…

The cook didn't realize that his thoughts slowly led him towards sleep, and he fell asleep without being aware of it.

* * *

At the first light of the day, the swordsman decided to wake the blonde up. As the cook painfully stretched, Zoro glanced out the window. The wind had fallen and the snow had stopped but it covered everything with its white mantle and the ground was probably slippery.

They cautiously move on after Sanji had made sure of their route and their long walk resumed in silence.

Shortly before noon, the Thousand Sunny's profile appeared in a small creek on the mountainside, making them smile again.

Nami greeted them with a critical look before finally wincing in view of their conditions. For his part, Luffy hollered at his cook's feet, whining how much he had missed him. The navigator sent them all to take a shower before screaming at the captain that they could at last weigh anchor.

* * *

 _Thanks for reading._

 _I hope the story's and characters' credibility are there, it's my main concern…_

 _See you soon._


	3. A taste of revenge

_Thanks to koon001995 for your review._

 _Thanks for your alerts._

 _Enjoy your reading._

* * *

 **Chapter 3**

 **A taste of revenge**

"There's a huge beast under the boat!"

Ussop felt his legs going weak and tears ran down his face. A sea beast from his worst nightmares undulated beneath the water's surface. Seeing its shadow, it exceeded the Sunny's height of hundreds of feet and his screams intensified.

"We're all going to die!"

Luffy leaned towards the edge, brimming with excitement at the idea of a confrontation.

"It's good, I was hungry!"

"Don't get carried away, we don't know if it's edible", the cook warned at his side, placing his cigarette butt between his lips.

"It's gigantic!" exclaimed Chopper in his turn, worried.

A little further, Zoro made his swords' clatter heard.

"I think he did not see us", Robin noticed.

"It's coming to the surface!" become alarmed the navigator. "It will make us capsize!"

"We're all going to die!" yelled the sniper even more, perfectly hysterical.

"Shut up, Ussop", Franky grumbled.

"Hold tight, everyone!" warned the skeleton.

The Sunny swerved when the monster surfaced a little farther out, the waves hitting violently its hull. The straw hat's crew members fell over in every direction and all of them tried to cling to something.

"This time, he saw us!" exclaimed Chopper while getting up.

A new wave of salt water crashed down on the deck and when the friends opened their eyes again, they actually noted that the monster was winding in their direction.

"Gum-Gum Bullet!"

The rubber captain's fist fell with strength on the muzzle of the giant eel, stopping its travel. It screamed in rage and dived underwater to escape its opponent's next move, which stared wide-eyed.

"It disappeared!"

"It's going to hurt", understood Franky who was following his advance under the water.

"Exploding Star!"

Ussop had taken his courage in both hands and he fired a volley of shots that reached his target before it touched the boat. The eel then straightened above them, overhanding the crew from about twenty meters, fangs dripping.

"Help!" yelled the sniper, dashing off.

"Weapons left!"

The beast avoided the gun and tried to disintegrate the cyborg with its powerful jaw that Sanji deflected with a kick. The eel then turned over Chopper and Nami who stood aloof, and it charged at them, causing their panic.

"En garde, monster of the seas!"

Brook protected his two companions by positioning himself in front of them, the sword ready to strike. However, in front of the animal's mass, he wasn't overconfident.

"Veinte Fleur!"

Robin's hands grew on the animal's mouth and managed to keep it closed when it reached the skeleton. The latter took the opportunity to scream with fear as the navigator and the reindeer ran away at full speed.

"Gum-Gum Pistol Shotgun!" exclaimed the captain, rushing his fists at the head of the fish, which flinched under the avalanche of blows.

Zoro popped up to his side and ran towards his prey, swords ready.

"Santoryu. Charming Demon Sleepless Night Oni Giri."

The swords' sharp-edged hit his opponent repeatedly, signing his death warrant and several parts of his body crashed into the boat, causing them to pitch in all directions again. When the roll faded, Luffy jumped up to catch a huge piece on the deck, so very happy.

"This is disgusting", noted the navigator, pinching her lips.

"Look at the condition of my boat!" muttered Franky, pulling up a shred of wood from the railing.

"You think we can eat it, Sanji?" inquired the straw hat boy with hope.

"Let's see", thought the blonde. "I think I have a recipe that should please you."

"Awesome!"

* * *

Sanji ran a hand through his hair. He had finished cooking the enormous eel that had been slaughtered that very morning, all he had to do was to arrange the side dish and compose beautiful plates. Since their captain had taken the opportunity of their victory to organize a festive evening, the blonde had decided to innovate and had strived to create a turquoise blue cocktail that reflected the monster's color for his mellorines. For the others, he would take some bottle or other.

The afternoon had taken place peacefully, no new monster or attack having disturbed the crew and everyone had been able to go about their favorite business. The sun was slowly fading on the horizon and the perfect weather had encouraged the cook to set the dinner table on the deck to enjoy it.

While he carried on the last preparations without thinking about it, his mind slowly drifted towards the events of the previous island a few days before.

He had tried to forget the explicit glances from the swordsman by the fireside as well as his burning caresses but he was also ashamed to admit he had been watching out for signs from Zoro to prove him that he hadn't dreamed. And of course, the shitty bastard had noticed his game and since then, he made provocative eyes at him as soon as the rest of the crew had their backs turned.

Sanji had first looked the other way, too embarrassed, before feeling his self-esteem protest against such treatment. Then he had begun to be able to look the swordsman in the face before returning him his mocking and subversive expressions.

He was well aware of his ambivalent attitude. Zoro had been clear with him but on his side, the cook was still floundering. After having taken the time to think about his casual attitude on the island, he had concluded that he was obsessed with his desire for vengeance and that it urged him to respond to the swordsman, even though this was dangerous territory. Just the idea of making him pay for the domination he had inflicted on him, he was feeling like doing it again. So there was only one plausible explanation for the fact that he might want to share that kind of thing with him again, and that was his need for revenge.

However, the stupidity of his reasoning didn't elude him. His body wasn't for leverage to console his self-esteem in front of a powerful rival he shouldn't underestimate. Zoro wasn't only an opponent but also a man. Two characteristics that should have already dissuade him from rushing into an escalation of glances on this subject. To think that his ego has a zero-tolerance policy when it came to the swordsman. He needed to measure himself against him. To prove him that he didn't stop at anything. To prove himself that his pride was intact.

But Sanji had taken a step further the day before. At the bend in a falsely trivial conversation, he had taken the trouble to check with Chopper the nature of the examinations which he made them all regularly perform and he had got out reassured. At least on the side of illness, he had nothing to fear.

The cook sighed as he finished seasoning his vinaigrette. Somewhere, he had already made up his mind. He wanted to get his revenge on the swordsman's body and then classify definitively this matter. He had to demonstrate to this moron that he could take control in this kind of situation too otherwise, he would keep his humiliation in mind forever.

So he was there. He was okay with positively replying to Zoro's proposal for this one and only time but he didn't know how to spread the word. And it was out of the question to speak to him at the bend in one of his trainings or when he passed by the kitchen. In case he had changed his mind, Sanji didn't want to be the laughing stock of the swordsman until the end of his life…

The blonde was just finishing setting his plates when a brown tornado broke into his den.

"Sanji, I'm hungry!"

"Wait another minute, you glutton!"

Finally, he arranged the final touch to his dish and satisfied, he invited the crew members to start dinner. Nami and Robin sat down first, delighted to discover the delicacy of the presentation. Very quickly, everyone sat at the table and the blond served the plates before putting down the cocktails in front of the two young women.

"Sanji-kun, it's splendid and really delicious!" complimented the navigator who loved being the center of so many attentions.

"Nothing but the best for you, Nami-san!" fooled around the cook before carelessly throwing a bottle on the boys' side. "Robin-chan, do you want me to warm up your dish? I know you don't like it when the food is lukewarm!"

"No thanks, it's perfect", thanked him politely the young woman with a smile.

Reassured, the cook sat down at the end of the table, a cigarette on his lips, nonchalantly watching the course of the meal and paying attention to the well-being of Nami and Robin as a priority. Obviously.

* * *

The plates were emptied and re-filled many times before Luffy pushed back his with an enormous smile, his stomach full.

"It was so good, Sanji! You must do it every day!"

"What's next?" the man grumbled. Cooking such a thing takes hours!"

"Awesome! We'll have some legs of lamb tomorrow!" the captain strangely deduced then laughed out loud.

The blond shrugged and Brook began to play an energetic repertoire of songs, dragging Chopper, Ussop, Franky and Luffy into a farandole at full speed. Then the straw hat boy asked for the song of the Binks' Sake to his musician and this one adapted it successively on the violin, the piano and the guitar. Franky took advantage of it to invent a choreography and he dragged Ussop and Chopper with him until his friends tripped over their own feet and fell flat on their faces on the deck. Luffy roared with laughter and tried to take up again the Brook's Yohohohoho in rhythm with him.

For their parts, the girls applauded and enjoyed the attention of their personal cook who brought them a piece of cheesecake meringue with raspberry before refilling their glasses again. Although he was still, the swordsman wasn't outdone and he took advantage of the crew's joy by letting himself be driven by their good mood.

The evening went on cheerfully, the dishes and the bottles succeeding each other on the table. Eventually, the girls headed for their room but the dancers didn't want to stop there and Brook started a very entertaining country music.

After having drunk a coffee, Sanji quietly smoked his cigarette, his gaze lost in their contemplation. He might've had a little too much of the wine he had taken from his reserve but he had seen it as a way to give himself some courage to speak to the swordsman who was now discussing with Chopper not far from him. He knew that this technique wasn't very honorable but with the alcohol's help, he had even come to recognize that his rival's body wasn't so horrible and this prospect would allow him to pass a little more pleasantly what he wanted to do.

However, he found no occasion to tackle the subject with the swordsman and he left the table shortly after for the lookout, leaving the blond disappointed.

* * *

Two hours later, Sanji opened his eyes and noticed that he had fallen asleep on the table. He glanced around and found that Luffy, Chopper, Ussop, Franky and Brook had collapsed on the deck, snoring soundly, smiling and foaming at the mouth. The night was deep black and the water calm around them, the Sunny seeming to glide over its surface without a sound.

Sighing, the cook unfolded his long legs and undertook to clear a minimum. He felt the effects of the alcohol on his body even more heavily since he got up and he grimaced thinking of the headache he would probably have the next day.

Managing to go to his kitchen despite his awkward gestures, he finally knocked the pile of dirty dishes over the floor before reaching the sink and he nearly meet them as he was leaning towards to pick them up. Annoyed, he decided to sit on the floor because the chair was definitely too far from him. He pushed back the scattered plates with his foot, determined to wait a little until his head stop turning and he lightened a cigarette, his back against the counter.

At this moment, the kitchen's door opened and the swordsman entered with a confident step.

"A problem, cook?"

Sanji slowly raised his head before excessively shaking it from right to left, which accentuated his sensation of spinning.

"I'm resting."

"On the ground? In the middle of the plates?" Zoro pointed out in a mocking voice.

"What do you think, marimo head? Everyone isn't insensitive to alcohol like you, you know."

"Why did you need to drink so much then? You know you don't hold your liquor, darts eyebrow", sniggered the swordsman over him.

"I didn't need it!" the cook flushed, feeling that his tongue answered more quickly than he would have liked. "Besides, I'm not so drunk."

To prove it, he straightened and managed to get up.

"Oh, shit, I feel dizzy…"

He chose to take hold of the nearest chair to not fall and narrowly sit there.

"Impressive", Zoro soberly said.

"Shut up. What the hell are you doing here anyway?"

"I heard a noise, I came to see what it was."

"You worried about me? Too kind", the blond ironically said, crushing his cigarette butt in the ashtray.

"Whatever. I'm on watch, that's all."

The swordsman didn't move so Sanji grabbed the rest of the bottle from the counter and threw it at him.

"Sit down, I won't charge you."

Zoro obeyed and there followed a few minutes of silence during which the fencer slowly drank and the blond struggled to keep his eyes open.

"By the way, I thought about it and I agree."

The swordsman contemplated his interlocutor as if he didn't understand, encouraging him to clarify his thought.

"What are you talking about?" he asked him.

"Your proposal. On Nerwa's island."

As Zoro increased his so-called misunderstanding that Sanji didn't notice because of his condition, the cook sighed and came closer over the table, unsteady.

"For the both of us."

The swordsman had a knowing smile then shook firmly his head.

"No way", he said, suddenly serious.

"What? But why?!"

"You're completely wasted, you don't know what you're saying."

"How do you know?" answered back the cook, outraged.

"I know that tomorrow when you'll wake up, you'll come and skin me alive if I have taken advantage of your condition."

"You're really a marimo head", Sanji replied as if it was explaining everything. "I tell you I agree, what more do you want? You want me to sign you a waiver?"

In a bad mood, the blond rose, dangerously staggering, and headed for the door.

"I'm going to bed", he grumbled.

"Wait", the swordsman interrupted, holding him by the arm.

The blond glared at him, challenging him to continue.

"If tomorrow you haven't changed your mind, I agree."

Sanji pulled away from his grip with a sudden move and shrugged his shoulders before slamming the door behind him.

* * *

The cook stood up like an automaton the next morning. He vaguely remembered their little party and he discovered with distress the extent of the damage in his kitchen among smashed dishes. As he began his day with a cleaning in due form, the memories gradually surfaced in him and when he put away the bottle left on the table, his discussion with the swordsman came back to him. He grabbed a chair with a trembling gesture and let himself fall heavily on it.

He was now terribly ashamed. On the one hand, he was glad to have wrung out of Zoro the promise of revenge but on the other, he had made a spectacle of himself on a subject where there was nothing to laugh about. Geez, he had almost begged him and it was that idiot who had been the more mature of both of them! Given his condition, if the swordsman had accepted straight away, no doubt the cook wouldn't have been able to impose. Zoro had probably pitied him. He wanted his rival to have all his lucidity to face him with dignity. What a disgrace…

Mortified once and for all, Sanji let his head crash on the kitchen table. With a little luck, the boat would open in two and Grand Line would swallow him up forever. Yeah, that was the best thing to hope for…

Eventually, the blond finally sat up straight. He had a terrible headache, as expected, but he still had to prepare the breakfast. So he forced himself to hurry up and he prepared the meal as best he could for the usual hour.

When the swordsman crossed the doorstep, the breakfast was already well advanced and no one paid any attention to him. Sanji had decided to play the amnesia card, at least until he found a solution for not appearing totally unworthy if Zoro came to talk to him. However, the fencer didn't flinch more than the others and he sat down like a light to attack his meal then he went out at the same time as Ussop who wanted to show him a new invention he probably didn't care about.

* * *

The rest of the day was spent as normally as possible for such a crazy crew, meaning that Luffy went over only once, that Ussop had the scare of his life when his new tabasco star hit one of Nami's tangerine trees and Chopper had one crying jags after Franky had got one of Zoro's huge weights on his head. Thanks to them, the cook felt good and he forgot little by little the events of the previous day.

* * *

During the evening meal, Nami announced them that they shouldn't be very far from the next island, which was welcomed in general joy. So Sanji stayed a little later than usual in the kitchen after the washing-up to count up the supply's state but especially to think about his next purchases for new recipes.

He was still there as the boat had become silent, the crew having got back to their respective beds. Busy scribbling his thoughts, Sanji didn't pay attention to the door that opened on a thirsty swordsman and who naturally headed for the bottles reserve. Finally noticing it, the blond's heart skipped a beat and he kicked the oaf who dared to enter his den without permission.

Zoro stood up in a flash, his swords out and his eyes furious.

"What was that for?" he roared.

"To teach you politeness, you idiot swordsman!"

The swordsman in question rushed on the cook who narrowly shifted to avoid a sharp blade but he couldn't prevent to take the counter in the kidneys. He grimaced as Zoro returned to the attack and he swept him with a kick at the level of the ankles. The fencer only owed his life to the table behind him which prevented him from collapsing to the ground and he raised his swords again against Sanji who stopped them with his leg raised.

There followed several minutes of fighting where the swordsman and the cook gave as good as they got in the middle of the room, trying to avoid the furniture.

Finally out of breath, they glared at each other, ready to relaunch the fight at the slightest sign of provocation of the other.

"You're a seriously disturbed guy, stupid eyebrows", Zoro said, repositioning his swords in front of him.

"You're one to talk, marimo head!" replied Sanji, stretching his leg. "You have no concept of propriety!"

"Oh, yeah? Yet, I didn't touch you yesterday, I remind you!"

The blond lowered his leg, staring at him.

"And don't tell me you forgot because I very well noticed your side glances when I was training today!"

Sanji became crimson and Zoro plastered a victorious smile, lowering his swords.

"When I think you had to booze to talk to me about it. I'm sure you don't even dare looking at yourself in a mirror", he sniggered.

The cook felt his shame come back at full speed and he straightened up, livid with anger.

"You're going to shut up, shitty swordsman!"

He rushed at him and Zoro found himself cornered, not having foreseen his impulsive reaction. However, even his back to the wall, he didn't disarm, his air of superiority at the corner of his lips.

"You don't even have the courage to assume that you liked it and ask for it again."

"I'm not attracted to your marimo head out of date!" shouted the blond, extremely tense. "You're gonna pay for what you did to me the other time and that's all!"

"You lose your temper, cook. You're pathetic."

The smirking and bright smile of the swordsman a few inches from his face finished hardening Sanji's resolve and he stack his mouth on his to silence him. Zoro brusquely put his blades down on the counter and caught the cook's body to press him against his. The blond grabbed his neck and deepened their kiss as the swordsman abruptly swung him, trapping him against the wall in his turn.

Sanji had a movement of resistance. If he was there, it was to take the lead over Zoro and nothing else. So he shoved the swordsman to escape and pushed him as far as the bench against the right wall of the kitchen on which the man collapsed, dragging him to hold him against his body.

The blond smiled. There, he felt better. It was him who was going to call the shots and the other could do nothing about it. The knees on either side of his waist, he passed his hands under the swordsman's tee-shirt who eased him the task for him to remove it. Satisfied, the cook let his hands go down to his pants and he quickly unbuckled the belt.

He wasn't going to waste time, he had to established his domination over Zoro. He pushed the fabric down and felt the swordsman help him to get rid of his boots while being at it. However, the fencer took the opportunity to pull the blond's shirt out who grimaced before focusing on the next step. Zoro was almost naked and he had just lost his shirt, he could deal with it.

He passed his hand over the hardened limb of the swordsman and felt him react as his hips moved against his hand. Definitely, it was a real child's play…

He relaxed a bit and then became aware of the fencer's harsh caresses against his back as well as his aggressive kisses on his neck when he pressed himself against his chest. A muffled excitement overcame his body to concentrate in his lower abdomen. These sensations weren't t so unpleasant, they… They deflected him from his thoughts and his objective!

Sanji abruptly straightened up but the swordsman followed him, pressing their pelvis and holding him against him in an iron fist. He eagerly kissed him and the blond noticed that his hands unbuttoned his own pants. Anyway, he would have to do it so he could let him have the illusion of being in charge…

He took off his clothes, his shoes and his socks with a movement of his legs and returned flattening Zoro against the sofa. The swordsman seized his buttocks with both hands and the blond couldn't help but shudder. His skin bristled beneath the fire of the swordsman's caresses and his tongue biting his ear wrung little sighs out of him in spite of himself. He had to stay focused. He had to…

It was time to get down to business. He groped for the last piece of cloth on the body of his rival and tried to take it away, breathless and confused. Zoro moved against him and the cook let him do it, thinking he was going to make it easier for him once again.

The swordsman actually got up to get rid of his last garment as well as the one of the cook but he also took advantage of it to grab the hips of his companion that he abruptly returned to press him against the sofa under his own weight. Horrified, Sanji tried to move but the hand of the fencer made wonderful back and forth movements on his manhood and he only sighed of wellness that he muffled between his lips with rage. After a few moments of this treatment which he didn't really manage to escape, the other man began to slip his fingers towards his intimacy, setting off the alarm in the cook's head.

It shouldn't happen like that. It wasn't possible.

He contorted himself to escape his caresses, only increasing the rub between their two skins and he bit his tongue for not moaning at this contact. He grabbed the swordsman's member for drowning him with sensations and regaining control but he got hoarse sighs in return that only aroused him more and allowed the fencer to resume his previous activity around his intimacy.

It was becoming unmanageable, it was falling apart.

The cook tried to push away the swordsman who transmitted him brutal back and forth movements with his fingers now, leaving him panting with pleasure but also terribly angry. He finally straightened up, his forehead beaded with sweat, when Zoro withdrew to position himself at his entrance. Sanji desperately shoved him to prevent him from committing the irreparable.

It was out of the question. It wasn't conceivable. Perhaps his body was screaming to find the other one but he couldn't stand another defeat. He abruptly stood up, snatching a surprised look from the fencer who followed him with his eyes.

Sanji grabbed him by the arm and toppled him over the ground with a firm gesture. The swordsman grumbled but agreed to follow the movement and he welcomed again the cook on his hips above him, sitting on his pelvis.

Breathing short, they watched each other for a few moments. A smile at the corner of the lips, the fencer then moved his pelvis, reminding his partner that their anatomies were far from finished. The blond regained a little control of his breathing and calm when noticing that Zoro was accepting the position. Then he replied to his movement and soon, their sighs resumed, softly muffled by their will.

Here, the pleasure was more acceptable for the cook. And it was growing. A wave started from the bottom of his stomach and threatened to surge at any moment.

Suddenly, the swordsman raised his hips and Sanji frowned before understanding his intention. In this position, he wouldn't lose face, he could dominate Zoro. Here, he would impart his own rhythm and the swordsman should follow his gestures.

Satisfied, he softly let himself fall on the hard limb but he nevertheless froze quickly in pain and closed his eyes. The suffering totally came over him.

Then he felt the swordsman's mouth against his. Zoro had straightened up and tried to relax him, letting his tongue discover him as best he could. He accepted his help and got carried away by more pleasant sensations until he could move again.

The pleasure was equal to the pain. Waves of contradictory emotions overwhelmed him, from bestial desire to absolute happiness, through the joy of knowing that he had reached his goal. Soon however, his thoughts faded away, leaving only the search for ultimate enjoyment.

When they finally freed themselves, breathing short, Sanji let himself fall on his forearms around the fencer. All the muscles in his body and even those in his legs were atrociously aching from having held this position for too long but he didn't care. All that mattered was that he had got what he wanted. Certainly, he would have preferred to take full power over the swordsman but he had come so close to disaster that the conclusion of their frolics had amply relieved him. He was overjoyed.

After a few seconds, he stood up to briefly dry himself, his walk staggering but his smile confident. He picked up his scattered clothes and contemplated Zoro who was slowly straightening up, his gaze still blurred. Smiling again, the cook quickly put on his shirt and pants before slipping away from the room towards the bathroom.

Tonight, he was going to sleep well.

* * *

 _I tried to translate the names of the attacks as well as possible but it's not easy! I know them in French and Japanese but not in English so I looked on the internet but I'm not sure that it's perfect._

 _Anyway, I hope you liked it._


	4. Searching inner peace, desperately

_Thanks for your alerts/favorites._

 _Enjoy your reading._

* * *

 **Chapter 4**

 **Searching inner peace, desperately**

Sanji opened his eyes and winced, stretching slowly. He didn't need to move to know it was time for him to get up, his internal clock never failing him. He wriggled free without a sound from his bunk while all his companions were still asleep like babies. Then he headed for the bathroom with an automatic step and plunged directly under the shower. A cold shower preferably. To wake him up and to banish of his head the memories still too present of the day before.

The cook relaxed his body under the cool water and increased the temperature to unwind his muscles. He wasn't used to the kind of exercise he had done with the swordsman but it was ultimately the lesser evil.

He shivered a little. He still savored his victory but he was also surprised at having got so much physical pleasure. Of course they hadn't spoken about it again and the next day had been the most normal in the world. Even the side glances of his rival had stopped. No doubt the fencer was brooding over his defeat, to the delight of the blond.

The island where they had disembarked the day before had been totally devastated by a pirates' looting shortly before. The inhabitants had nothing to sell them anymore or even to give them in view of the terror that each crew with the black flag inspired them. So they had left empty-handed as soon as the Log-Pose had finished recharging, which hadn't taken more than a few hours.

On this occasion, Zoro and he had even managed to trade a few blows before Nami intervened and the cook had welcomed with relief that common headache. Everything was going back to normal.

His body a little less painful thanks to the hot water, Sanji also resolved to relax his mind. He had answered to the swordsman's challenge and now that he had shut him up, he had no reason to worry. He was going to be able to move on.

The next land was at several days crossing and he should pay attention to their reserves since they couldn't resupply the day before. This implied that he would probably have to reduce the rations before they arrived and he was already imagining the captain's cries of distress when he'd found out…

He was suddenly got out of his thoughts by an intruder who literally broke into his shower. Astounded, the blond noted that Zoro didn't even have good taste enough to ask him his opinion while he was already devouring his neck.

"What the hell are you doing, marimo head?!" he choked, pushing him away.

"You can't see it?" grumbled the other, jaded.

"But… anyone could come in! And it's my shower! I didn't think that-"

"What? They're sleeping."

The cook put a wet hand through his hair, confused.

"Besides, how come you don't sleep?"

"I saw you get up."

"And that gave you the idea to join me naked here?!"

"Yeah", said quietly the swordsman.

Sanji swallowed hard. He was so sure a minute before that he could calmly move on and now…

He sharply turned the water off and pushed the swordsman to get out of the shower cubicle. He grabbed a towel and tied it to his hips while Zoro came out of the shower in his turn. As the fencer didn't seem to want to dry himself, Sanji flung him another towel before planting himself in front of him.

"We have to agree."

"On what?" asked the other.

"But… on all of that!"

"Isn't that what we did the last time?"

"We didn't really talk", the cook squeaked.

"Oh, yeah", the swordsman remembered, shrugging his shoulders. "Well, it was clear anyway, right?"

"I'm not sure we understood exactly the same thing!" the blond got annoyed.

"There aren't a thousand words to say!" the swordsman got impatient. "We're here because I like this activity more than expected and you've discovered yourself a new passion for muscular bodies, period. Do you see anything else?"

Sanji stared at him, petrified. Was this challenge story just a start signal for rolls in the sack between two rivals according to him?

"What? Do I have to provoke you whole days each time for you to remember you liked it?" the fencer got annoyed. "Are you that uptight?"

The cook blushed before furiously clenching his fists.

"Damn it, are you aware of what we did or your brain is more crushed than a mashed broccoli?! We did a draw on that one and now we're going to get over it!"

Zoro shook his head before fixing his dark gaze on his eyes.

"You really believe what you're saying? We wanted to do it, you craved for it."

"I wanted to take my revenge, that's all!"

The swordsman sighed. If he had agreed not to keep him under him the last time, it was because he had felt that the blond's pride wouldn't stand it. They both needed to feel that they were controlling the other and with that effort, he had thought that Sanji would realize he had done his part to please him. But apparently, his denial was the strongest.

"We are adults, cook, you have to take responsibility. Don't you think this challenge story is a perfect excuse for your little conscience?"

"Stop that, you're talking crazy! I know very well what I do!"

"Then you should start asking yourself questions because for a simple role, you had a fucking good time!"

At these words, Sanji felt himself cornered in the narrow space of the bathroom in front of the swordsman and his emotions went wild.

"And you want me to take responsibility for what, you bastard?! Do you want me to say I like to get screwed by a guy I hate?! I can't do that, damn it!"

Zoro smirked.

"But that's what you did."

"That's not what happened!"

"You got caught up in the excitement."

"No! No…"

The blond refused to think more about it. His thoughts swirled like a hurricane in his head. He wasn't attracted to a man. He wasn't attracted to Zoro. He couldn't. It wasn't him. He had never fantasized about his body or someone else's. Never!

"That's what I thought", suddenly said the swordsman. "You may have a big mouth but in reality, you have no guts."

Sanji came out of his thoughts and stared at him, exasperated.

"Are you going to make me believe you're okay with what we did? That you find it logical and the most natural thing in the world?!"

"Unlike you, I accept challenges regardless of their nature."

"That's bullshit!"

The cook turned away but this time, Zoro grabbed his shoulder and brutally turned him, facing him.

"If you didn't enjoy it, I'd have understood but you back down because you feel a desire for a man and it's pathetic. And it's not like you."

The blond got free of his grip before glaring at him, perfectly furious.

"It has nothing to do with that, you moron! It's just that it's you! I'm so used for wanting to punch you that I don't see how I could want anything else!"

"We can fuck and hate each other. It's not incompatible."

"Yes, it is, idiot! And stop trying to find arguments! Why don't you want it to be like before?!"

"Because it's not possible."

"Why?!"

"Because we slept together", the swordsman calmly said as the cook winced. "Whatever you do, you can't erase what happened."

"Why not?" suddenly tried the blond with hope. "We could act as if…"

"You can", agreed the fencer. "You can become a coward and run away from what you feel, it's your choice."

"A coward? Don't you think you're exaggerating? And for the record, I feel nothing at all!"

"You think? A guy who prefers trying to forget what he did because he doesn't have the courage to look at things differently, how is it called?"

Sanji opened his mouth before closing it, silenced. Really, he hated when the marimo head was so quick on the draw.

Finally, he leaned against the wall that froze his skin still wet.

"I'm not a coward but it's beyond me", he then admitted with a sigh. "My head's about to explode thinking about it…"

"So stop thinking."

"But I can't!"

"Suit yourself."

Zoro collected his things and walked past him in a flash. The blond watched the door close behind him, surprised. He had been about to prolong his reflection, to share it with the swordsman but he had disappeared, leaving his head filled with questions.

* * *

For two days, Sanji had been concentrated on his preparations to better forget the disturbing words of the marimo head. This morning, he had made short shrift of the breakfast and was already working on lunch when it was barely ten o'clock. Luffy's snacks were ready, the cocktails for his princesses too.

When he made the final touch to his dessert an hour later, he considered starting dinner before pulling himself together. He wasn't going to cook 24 hours a day for the rest of his life to escape a few ridiculous sentences…

He absently rinsed his pans while trying to put some order in his thoughts but it was a lost cause. He was walking on the sharp edge of a sword since their last conversation and the confidence he had felt after his victory had crumbled as quickly as a sand castle nibbled by the tide.

In spite of himself, the arguments of the swordsman were creeping into his head and made him doubt his own attitude. He had tried to reject them but if they returned so often to disturb him, so much it preventing him to rest, it was because they strangely resonated in him. Irreconcilable words circulated in loop in his head.

Zoro. Pleasure. Man. Hatred. Desire.

"Sanji-kun!"

The cook jumped, his cheeks red.

"N-Nami-san, what can I do for you?" he immediately resumed.

"You were completely elsewhere, my poor Sanji", she pointed out, shaking her head. "I noticed that the aquarium isn't full and I wanted to know if we should ask Luffy and Ussop to fish a little."

"Yes, it would be good. Better to have stock on that…"

"We'll run out of meat soon?" the navigator understood.

The blond nodded.

"Don't tell Luffy, I'll do my best so he doesn't realize it until the last moment."

Nami agreed with a sigh before leaving his friend to his preparations. She was aware that the time would come too quickly for their captain to find that there wouldn't be enough meat until the next call.

* * *

The lunch took place in a monstrous brouhaha and the whirling thoughts of the crew's cook increased. Luffy and Brook were screaming with laughter after the captain showed him his chopstick technique in his nose, Chopper sniffled loudly as he found he had been stolen his share of dessert, Franky and Ussop were building small towers with bits of bread while bawling and Nami and Robin conversed happily. Only the marimo remained silent and Sanji could have thanked the swordsman for not increasing his headache if it wasn't him. On the contrary, the fact that he was the only one to behave quietly annoyed him to the highest point.

"Get that stupid look off your face, greenie! I'm tired of seeing you make faces like that at every meal!"

"Not my fault if your food is disgusting, shitty cook!" the fencer sneakily pointed out.

"Damn it, this time you're going to meet your fellows in the ocean!" the cook fumed as he got ready for kicking him.

Zoro had already taken out his swords and threw himself on the blond who narrowly escaped his attack before throwing his foot in his chest. The swordsman dodged him by a hair before spinning on himself and relaunching his swords on either side of the cook who choose to bend down to avoid the blades.

"Always fighting, they ruin all our quiet moments", Nami said, getting annoyed and dragging Robin out of the room to stop hearing them.

The other members of the crew quickly imitated them with the end of the meal and the two rivals were soon alone without realizing it, continuously exchanging blows.

* * *

A few minutes later, Brook crossed the doorstep again in search of his bow and he found that the quarrel hadn't ended. Then he observed the two best enemies of the Sunny before clearing his throat.

"Forgive me, dear friends. Would you need to relax? As you know, music calms you down!"

Sanji and Zoro turned towards him before glaring at each other again, winded.

"It's a tie, cook."

"Go to rest, marimo. I know you're not used to move so much between your naps."

The swordsman grumbled before going away and the musician planted himself in front of the blond.

"Oh, Brook. That's nice of you but you shouldn't go through all this trouble for this stupid musclehead, he'll fall asleep on his own in a minute."

"Actually, I found that it was especially you who looked stressed", replied the skeleton with empathy.

"Really?"

The cook sighed. Of course he was nervous. He couldn't think normally since days but he thought he had handled his bad mood more discreetly. At this level, his little fight with Zoro had at least allowed him to let off steam.

"It's true that I've been a little overworked lately", he said. "Do you have anything to make me forget morons with cactus heads in your repertoire?"

Brook started to think for a moment.

"If you need to sleep, I can play my lullaby", he suggested.

"No point going that far, I still have a lot of work", the blond showed him, pointing at the piled up dirty plates.

"Okay. I know a ballad that sailors appreciate for its softness. It speaks of the joy of living the moment in the midst of tormented lives!"

"Why not", the cook agreed, shrugging his shoulders.

The musician started the first notes and Sanji cleared the table, letting himself be carried away by the slow and deep tempo of the violin. He concentrated on the song and tried to forget his agitation. The rhythm was engaging and the music pleasantly enveloped him.

He began the dishes with enthusiasm and plates, glasses and cutlery winded at a good pace. Wash, rinse, dry. Nothing easier to understand and apply. No need to think or ask questions. Happiness.

Satisfied, he then addressed a dish where the food had stuck. The stain was hard to clean and the cook frowned. He grabbed the scraper and put more force into it. This stain wasn't going to remain embedded in his dish, it wasn't going to do like the marimo and spoil his life!

Sanji slowly put down his sponge, sighing. He had managed to get the job done but his thoughts were resuming their marathon in his brain. The song ended and the blond thanked his friend then freed him. He finished his dishes and made sure there was coffee for Robin in the afternoon.

Then he decided to sit down at the table to calmly think. He had been avoiding going further into his thoughts for too long and he was beginning to become ill. Indeed, it wasn't like him not to take responsibility for his actions and he felt ridiculous to flee such a situation in his own head.

He placed a cigarette between his lips to help himself. After all, it was just words, he wasn't going to collapse for so little.

So… He had slept with Zoro.

This simple sentence sounded terribly wrong but he had to stick to the facts. The fencer had suggested that it wasn't just a desire for revenge and the blond himself had been the first to notice that the reason he had given himself to start again wasn't the most appropriate so he had to dig that angle.

So… He had slept with Zoro – twice – and he hadn't hated. If he had to be honest, he had even greatly appreciated.

So… If he followed the logic, he had slept with Zoro and he had appreciated then… he wanted to do it again? Just for the fun of this act and not for answering to a challenge?

His stomach painfully contracted to this idea. No, he didn't want to. Because it was Zoro. Because he was a man. Because he had acted to protect his pride.

So… He had slept with Zoro, he had enjoyed it but he didn't want to start again? Another unpleasant sensation twisted his stomach and the blond sighed. He didn't like the idea of doing it again but he didn't like the idea of putting an end to it either. Why? Because the possibility of coming out on top against the swordsman in this way was intoxicating. Because the pleasure he had taken wasn't negligible.

Sanji shook his head, desperate. He had slept with Zoro, he had enjoyed it but he didn't know what he wanted! Because it was Zoro. Because he was him. Because their relationship was out of control from the beginning.

The cook got up and headed for the deck, more lost than ever. Yet he needed to know what he really wanted to regain his serenity and be in tune with himself. He needed an answer, whatever it was. It was about his mental health and his most deeply rooted principles.

He went down the little stair and instinctively looked up at the crow's nest. If he wanted to make the right decision, it was imperative to take stock of his feelings beyond the series of events that wasn't going to lead him anywhere. But he was unable to do that at the moment. His thoughts assaulted him and confused him, he couldn't calm down to objectively think about it.

However, if there was one thing he didn't want to go back on, it was his point of honor to remain honest with others and himself in all circumstances. His pride just didn't allow him to do anything else.

Sanji intensely breathed in and took advantage of the sea air to concentrate.

* * *

The afternoon snack was over, Luffy had come to claim his share and Sanji had taken the opportunity to bring a little sweetmeat to the other members of the crew. Back in his kitchen, he was going around in circles. His mind was enraging him, he was getting nowhere and he was seriously getting fed up with it.

He noticed a bottle that the marimo hadn't come to pick up and he decided to take it up since he hadn't brought anything to him. At the same time, he could always try to mess with him in order to be able to kick him and relax a little…

The cook discovered the fencer in full meditation. As motionless as a statue, his eyes closed, he didn't move as he approached and Sanji soon lost hope of getting into a fight. His relaxed, serene features contrasted with his own inner struggle and he sighed deeply.

"You make a gloomy face, cook."

Sanji fixed his gaze on his now wide-open eyes and shrugged his shoulders wearily. He then threw his bottle at him and the swordsman caught it as it flies past.

The blond remained a few seconds to contemplate him without seeing him. He felt feverish, lost and terribly weakened. He couldn't even know what was going on in his own head and he was overcome with despair at the thought of never seeing the end of it.

"How can I know what I want?" he brutally asked the swordsman. "It pisses me off to admit it but I can't calmly think on the problem to make the best decision…"

Zoro stopped drinking. He stared at him for a second and Sanji thought he was going to laugh in his face. Besides, that's probably what he would have done in his place.

"Have you tried relaxation?"

"Are you kidding me?" said the cook, annoyed. "Of course I tried to relax and empty my mind but it didn't work!"

"Relaxation by the senses is a simple practice of meditation."

"By the senses? What do you mean?"

"You focus on what you feel and you use it to relax your body that will calm your mind."

As the blond didn't reply, the fencer pointed out to sit on the floor facing him and Sanji complied. Appealing to Zoro didn't really please him but he was doing it to get to the bottom of this and make a choice that would satisfy both his conscience and his principles so he wouldn't back down. He was tired of feeling his guts making him feel guilty whether it was at the prospect of testing out this new game with the swordsman or at the thought of refusing it. And above all, he couldn't stand anymore being caught in such a whirlwind of thoughts since everything had changed between them. He needed to find peace of mind.

"Close your eyes."

"What? Why?"

Zoro closed his and sighed.

"Are you going to rebel against everything I'm going to say? You asked me a question, remember."

"I get it. I was just a little surprised, that's all", the blond mumbled as he was closing his eyes, uncomfortable.

"Take a deep breath. Concentrate on your body only…"

The instruction was weird but Sanji tried to apply it. He focused on his legs, his hands, his arms. He didn't know how to do it or how long to spend so he tried to think about all parts of his body. Maybe if he focused on his entire body at the same time, he would get more results?

"Stop thinking", the swordsman ordered. "You have to get rid of your thoughts if you want to find your answer."

"And how can I get an answer if I don't think?" the blond retorted, irritated that Zoro had figured him out.

"You won't have an answer if you don't use your body."

"Huh?"

"Jeez, relax. Unwind your muscles. One place at a time."

The cook pouted but still focused on his right hand. His most precious tool. His legs were at the origin of his strength but he cherished his hands much more because they allowed him to practice his art. The smooth movement of the wrist when he took up whites in snow, firm when it was necessary to soften the meat, precise when he cut his vegetables. From his agile fingers to the power of his arm, everything converged on the right balance, the one that made his dish unique and incomparable.

Sanji was brutally pulled out of his thoughts when he heard a thud coming from the fall of one of his companion on the deck. Surprised, he opened his eyes but Zoro's voice immediately brought him back to his exercise.

"Forget your environment, you have to focus on your inner world."

Sanji stared at him. The swordsman hadn't even opened his eyes and yet he had known that the cook was no longer focused. He closed his eyes again, trying to model his breathing on the one of his companion, broad and deep. A calm aura surrounded him and he took the opportunity to lull into it until gradually relax.

"Focus only on the sensations of your body. Listen to it. Feel it."

Obeying the suave voice of the swordsman, Sanji let his mind lean towards his perceptions. Over the minutes, he became fully aware of his own body, from the dry tip of his toes to the sensitive pad of his fingers through his belly that swelled with each of his breath.

He ordered his muscles to relax one by one, starting with his left foot, then his right foot, his calves, his thighs and moving back up to the roots of his hair. Having reached the end, he noticed that he surprisingly felt serene. The broth that had been agitating him for days had flew back in the face of the calm intensity imposed on him by his own breaths.

Sanji felt he was mentally relaxing. A tension that he wasn't aware of containing flowed, letting all his senses spread to gather any information present in him and around him. He felt good. He felt totally connected with himself.

Then a hand rested gently on his arm, pulling him out of his torpor.

"I… I haven't got my answer yet, marimo", he grumbled at the troublemaker, fluttering his eyes.

"You'll get it but before that, you have to feed Luffy."

Sanji cocked an ear and actually noticed that his captain was howling at the moon while searching for his cook. He had really focused if he hadn't even heard him!

He sighed and got up before leaving the crow's nest. His sense of well-being was already fading and he mentally threatened Luffy with painful retaliation if he didn't manage to get rid of his dilemma quickly by his fault.

* * *

After the evening meal, Sanji had quickly done the dishes, being in a hurry to find a quiet environment to continue his thoughts. When he got back to his bunk, his companions were already asleep around him. Only Zoro's bed was empty.

The cook slipped into the sheets and closed his eyes. He struggled for a few minutes to find again the feeling, trying to remember the instructions of the swordsman and he quickly regained his previous state. He soon recognized the kind of protective shield and salvific distance, characteristics of this feeling that isolated him from the outside world. His thoughts flowed quietly around him, rustling without making him deaf to their cacophony.

He allowed himself to be enveloped by the one that preoccupied him while keeping his precious distance so as not to relapse in an agitated state. Zoro had told him that the answer would come from his body. Perhaps by the appeasement he was giving him at the moment?

What did his body reply to this disturbing idea? At the thought of being carried away by the madness of his senses with another man? At the idea that it was a being he hated so easily? That he loved to hate.

A soft heat came over him. The one of need and desire but also the one which warmed the soul, which made that every body aspires to touch another one, to feel important, to feel exist.

It was the call of a touch, a caress, a light touch on his skin that was growing, reinforced by an ascending wind. It was a fire that burned the oxygen of reason until the being was completely consumed by the inferno of the senses. It was the desire for a hand-to-hand fight.

Sanji quickly realized that this wasn't about the body of a man or a woman. It was just the call of a human being who was holding out to another one in the hope of sharing his warmth.

Nevertheless, he knew he still loved women's bodies, their curves and their softness. It was a part of him. But he also discovered the ones of men, powerful and rough under his fingers, so different but equally attractive in his own field. The appeal of curiosity to this new sensibility was present in him, fueling his desire and his need.

And finally, Zoro. A human being who knew him more than he wanted to admit. A body that could send him back his own violence and his buried desires. A man who had the knack of giving birth to totally paradoxical emotions in him and who challenged him by his mere existence. Then a sweet drunkenness of uncertainty and provocation at the idea that a rival was at the origin of so many contradictory feelings overwhelmed him.

The blond gently opened his eyes, the breath slow and deep. He glanced at the empty swordsman's bunk while around them, calm was prevailing.

The roaring tide in him was fading away. It was present, it existed, but it no longer suffocated him to the point of preventing him from thinking.

Sanji took a deep breath, almost troubled by what he had just experienced and which had come from his own person.

He released his breath.  
Maybe.

Maybe they could both fuck and hate each other.

Maybe it wasn't so incompatible.

Maybe…

* * *

 _I hope this chapter had convinced you about Sanji's line of thought._

 _In the next one, you'll finally have Zoro's point of view, the end of the reasoning of Sanji and it'll be a lighter and humorous chapter where we'll see the crew._

 _See you soon!_


	5. Too late

_Thanks to Guest for your review._

 _Thanks for your alerts and favorites._

 _Enjoy your reading._

 _Reply to anonymous review_

 _Guest_ _: Thanks for your review! I'm so glad you liked feeling's description! I love writing introspections, it's a great way to better understand characters in my opinion._

* * *

 **Chapter 5**

 **Too late**

The next morning, Sanji stoop up renewed. He felt lighter and made a multitude of dishes for breakfast. Even if the reserves were decreasing, he knew he'd have enough to feed his friends to the next island. The real problem was that meat was becoming scarce and Luffy would soon have to restrict himself in favor of others things…

He prepared crepes for the gourmands, a bit of meat for their greedy captain, fresh fruits for his princesses, toasts, milk, tea, coffee, cola and even rice balls to please the swordsman. After all, he owed him one. Thanks to his technique, he had made considerable progress in his reflections and there was nothing like peace of mind.

While everyone chewed more or less noisily a few moments later, Nami retrieved the newspaper and glanced at it, attentive to the news of the world. Suddenly, she froze and the archaeologist next to her noticed it.

"What's going on?" she asked her.

"It's… Ace", she babbled, looking up at the captain.

The latter quietly gazed at her as the rest of the crew froze, waiting for her next words.

"Is he all right?" the gunner uncomfortably asked.

"He broke out during a transfer", Nami read. "He escaped the Marines, probably thanks to complicities and his crew. Nobody knows where he is."

"It's super news!" Franky exclaimed.

"Yes but he was wounded", the navigator carried on, anxious. The World Government assures that, given his condition, they will quickly locate and recover him. They put all their resources into this…"

"Look at his Vivre Card, Luffy", Sanji suggested.

"There's no need."

The crew stared at him, surprised by his reaction.

"But, Luffy, the Marine says he was badly hurt", the redhead softly reminded him.

"Are you sure you don't want to go to meet him?" Brook added.

"My big brother knows how to defend himself, it's no use to worry!" the straw hat boy explained with a big smile.

There was silence in the room, his friends hesitating between admiring his optimism or fearing a denial of reality. Finally, Zoro swallowed his mouthful of rice and stood up for his captain.

"If Luffy thinks he's fine, then he's fine. Anyway, it's in the Marines' best interest to spread this kind of information to make it look like they're in control of the situation."

Luffy approved and the rest of the crew could only nod to his words. Everyone then finished his meal in cheerfulness.

While serving some milk up again to Chopper, Sanji glanced at the swordsman who was finishing devouring his plate. He had noticed since the beginning of their adventures the unshakeable confidence that Luffy and Zoro shared in each other. A simple look was enough for them to understand the other. Zoro was the one who best grasped the captain's sometimes confusing reasoning. He was also the one Luffy listened the most.

The cook had never understood how two people so unlike managed to get along so well but the point was that they had the same vision of the world made of unwavering willpower to achieve their goals and of steadfast loyalty towards their friends. And thanks to this tandem, the straw hat crew would achieve their goals, he knew it.

* * *

Moments later, everyone came out on the deck and the cook cleared before dealing with the mountain of dirty dishes. He then decided to take advantage of the warm air of the day by smoking his cigarette.

Outside, Luffy was pushing the little reindeer who was laughing out loud on his swing and Brook was composing a new song with the help of Franky. A little further in the grass, Zoro carried on the push-ups and handstands by bouncing the dumbbell on his feet. Sanji blew the smoke while contemplating the fencer.

Yesterday, he had felt he had reached the outcome of his reasoning. He now had the upper hand to make the best decision. He even had already taken it. It had come naturally to him as soon as he had opened his eyes again.

He wanted to be tempted with the prospect of this new adventure. Zoro might be his best enemy but he trusted him. Much more than he would ever admit. The swordsman would have no problem to remain frank with him because he didn't care to hurt him if it was to tell the truth. He would know how to put things in perspective if they faced opponents. He wouldn't judge him as long as the cook would remain honest with himself. And that was enough for him. All things considered, what more could he ask for?

The blond had a drag of his cigarette again. He didn't think he would regret his choice but he wanted to take the time to get used to it. After all, his life was going to change and even if it probably was just a fling, it would forever change their already chaotic relationship.

Wondering what surprises the future might have in stock for him, Sanji let his eyes get lost in the ocean. The weather wasn't quite clear but the air was mild enough to enjoy it and he let himself be carried away by the rolling of the Sunny under his feet.

Tomorrow would be the first day of the rest of his life but today, he'd simply enjoy the moment.

* * *

Zoro glanced out the window of the crow's nest. The day was darkening and he drank a long swig of water as he got his breath back.

He had felt Sanji let his look hanging out on him all day. Not an irritated or disgusted look as he could have used to do but a rather calm and pensive look. The swordsman didn't take long to understand that the relaxation session he had suggested had been constructive and he had come to imagine the cook's body under his own before the end of the day. Unfortunately, the night was falling and Sanji was taking his time, perhaps to weigh a little more his choice.

The swordsman relaxed his muscles a little by taking a few steps, pensive.

After the suddenness of their first frolics, he had himself been surprised by the desire he had had again for the blond's body on the island of Nerwa. The previous days, he had thought that the accumulated tension between them had flown and that their hand-to-hand would stop there but it hadn't been the case, on the contrary. When he had realized it, he hadn't wondered if what he was suggesting to the cook was good or bad, logical or not. He had felt like it so he had made his point.

However, Sanji was far from taking things as simply as him. From the fencer's point of view, the blond didn't accept some of his desires and was hiding behind the logic of the facts. In contrast, he was taking into account only what he felt. Reason didn't dictate his behavior, it was his body that sent him signals he could interpret. He had more confidence in his perceptions than in his judgment.

Zoro wasn't a thinker, his greatest strength was his body and he spent his time hardened it always a little bit more. His mind was useful to capture information from his environment and to extract new strengths to improve his power and strengthen his mind.

He was aware of being vulnerable to more complex reasoning because he didn't always understand it but he didn't care. His way of thinking might seem simplistic but it had always been successful for him so far.

Being a swordsman presupposed to be connected to the spirit of his swords, their metal, and thus to nature. And this one didn't weigh itself down with hatching useless plans. Nature could grant all its power to the attentive enough observer but in return, it required constant humility and work. It was only by getting rid of his superfluous thoughts that nature offered its treasures and Zoro understood it well. He was following the example of nature to get closer to his dream and it's in the same way that he was taking every decision of his life. By listening to the sensations from his body and trusting his instinct.

Zoro had noticed from the first day that the cook was reasoning very differently from him. It probably was the roots of their rivalry, inherent in their so opposite personalities. The blond was trying to rationalize his thoughts as much as possible and the swordsman thought that his sensibility was at the origin of this way of working. Sanji felt everything to the extreme and the emotions that pierced him from all sides left him both stronger but also at their mercy.

The swordsman secretly admired the ease with which he decoded the intentions and the thoughts of the others, it was an indisputable advantage because this way, he was adapting to all situations. That's why he was doing an excellent job as a cook because he was on the look-out for everyone's desires and knew how to anticipate them.

Nevertheless, he suffered in return from the infinite possibilities of his reasoning. He couldn't control everything but he was trying and today, he was in trouble because what he felt didn't match to what he had always understood of himself.

So it was quite natural that instead of wondering when, how and why he was there, the fencer had just accepted this unexpected attraction. Everything had quickly and logically found its place in his head. For him, there was indeed only pleasure to get at the prospect of this new occupation.

A jubilant pleasure at the thought of submitting the most insolent cook of Grand Line. A sadistic pleasure to watch him realize that under the heading of a Don Juan, the men's bodies didn't leave him so indifferent. A dizzying pleasure to taste his slender and muscular figure to hear him moan under his caresses.

There was nothing degrading or incongruous that could have stand in the way of his desire or try to stop him. Sanji was unbearable most of the time in his opinion but he also admitted that the blond was no less a worthy person who carried the question of his pride and his principles as high as he was. And in this, he respected him enough to suggest him to share a new intimacy.

After all, they weren't promising each other anything. It was the simple opportunity to enjoy a few moments of pleasure between two consenting adults. So he hoped that the blond's thinking would tip the balance in his favor but if he couldn't see beyond the appearances of their rivalry or his sexuality, he couldn't help it and he wasn't going to persist. He wasn't going to chase after him for a simple carnal contact, even if the taste had left him mouth-watering.

Taking back his dumbbells in his hands, Zoro repositioned himself on his carpet, his muscles contracted and his breathing ample. It was still early and he had time to perfect his exercises.

Concentrated, the swordsman soon forgot his shipmate.

* * *

The next morning was cloudy but it went normally until Ussop suddenly alerted his friends.

"Ship in sight at ten o'clock!"

Glasses screwed on his head, he pointed out to the crew who had rushed on deck the direction of the boat. Nami took her own binoculars and pointed them at the sea.

"I see a flag…"

"Pirates? Tell me, are they pirates?!" the captain immediately wanted to know by his sides.

"I have trouble seeing it…"

"It feels like adventure!" exclaimed the straw hat boy, already stamping with impatience.

"It's a trade flag", she finally stated.

"A trade flag?" Franky asked. "What are they selling?"

"It's a pharmacy ship."

"Is that true?!"

Chopper had suddenly stars in his eyes and he whirled round on the deck.

"I'm going to be able to buy all the medical innovations from Grand Line's latest scientific magazine!"

"We'll stay careful, Chopper", the redhead calmed him down, already seeing the berries escaping her. "It's true that you need some equipment but they shouldn't take advantage of it because we can't get fresh supplies elsewhere for the moment."

The little reindeer approved and speeded towards the infirmary to check on his reserves.

A few minutes later, a sales representative of the pharmacy ship asked for permission to dock and Brook threw him a rope to moor a gangway. If he was surprised to be greeted by a skeleton, he showed nothing.

"Good morning, young people. My name is Frinks, I'm a pharmaceutical representative from the collaboration of the best doctors in the New World", he introduced himself, cordially lifting his top hat.

"Wow, the New World!" Chopper and Luffy gushed, in awe.

"Crews wishing to go there should have a strong interest in having the necessary in their infirmary as well as competent staff!"

"We have a great doctor", the captain showed him, pointing the little reindeer that began to waddle and blush.

"Very honored, dear colleague."

The man shook Chopper's paw who blushed even more.

"Are you making discounts?" Nami immediately inquired.

"Of course. We have a wide choice as well as discounts depending on the amount of your purchases. Do you have our catalog?"

"I don't think so", the doctor said, saddened. "The last island we visited had only old copies."

"Astrid, please bring me the latest catalog!"

A young woman with a dynamic look and short and purple hair held by a flowery scarf turned up a few seconds later, a thick catalog in hand. In record time, she unfolded a table and three chairs on the deck of the Sunny before inviting Chopper to sit down there. At this sight, the crew's cook didn't miss to liquefy with love.

"Miss Astrid, let me introduce myself. Black Leg Sanji, cook of this ship, at your service."

"Pleased to meet you. I'm a nurse and I inform the crews about the latest medical techniques as well as the necessary equipment for any crossing on the seas of the globe."

"Nurse?" the blond exclaimed, subdued. "What an absolutely admirable job! I bet you must be gorgeous in your tight little white coat, Astrid!"

"Do you have paper and a pen, please, Sanji?" she interrupted him with a bright smile.

"Absolutely!"

As the cook literally flew to fulfill her request, the young woman turned to the rest of the jaded crew and winked at them.

"Don't worry, I'm used to it. Men tend to fantasize about nurses, especially lonely sailors at sea."

"Unfortunately, he doesn't need to be lonely to behave like a moron", Nami grumbled as Robin held back her laughter.

* * *

"Do you have elastic bandages? I mean, really elastic?"

The little reindeer was examining the different types of dressings in front of him, indecisive.

"We have these rolls made from an extremely modern alloy capable of significant twisting", Frinks showed him.

"These bandages are water resistant", Astrid completed, holding them out.

The doctor stretched them a few moments in all directions before nodding.

"It seems really solid…"

Chopper put them aside before showing an illustration on the catalog.

"At the level of sling immobilization, are they robust?"

"The best quality of all Grand Line!" the sales representative assured. "Maintaining is provided by a mixing of ultra-strong carbon and duck feathers that operate a balance between immobilization and the flexibility needed for the injured limb."

"It's that I have recalcitrant patients", the little doctor confided. "Do you mind if I test one?"

"But, please."

The reindeer turned to the mast and called the swordsman.

"Zoro, can you come for a minute, please?"

The fencer approached and Astrid fixed the sling to his left shoulder for the demonstration.

"How do you feel?" Chopper asked him.

Zoro shrugged.

"Normal."

"This is the usual position", Frinks confirmed. "Astrid."

The young woman nodded and adjusted sharply the sling which strengthened, prevented the swordsman from moving his shoulder despite his annoyed movements.

"Impressive", Chopper stated, examining Zoro.

"It's a unique model. It's useful for headstrong."

As the doctor agreed and walked away to move on, Luffy crept up on his first mate and engaged the sling at most, guffawing. The swordsman gasped and contorted with his other hand to escape the hold on his back, without success. As the straw hat boy burst out laughing, Ussop passed by and stared at the swordsman who was huffing and puffing.

"Maybe he's a bit too tight, isn't he? He's turning blue…"

"Let me see!"

Luffy planted his face in front of the fencer's and agreed.

"You're right! It looks like he can't breathe anymore, it's really tough this thing!"

"The marimo suffocates?" Sanji inquired, interested.

"Yeah, look, he's all blue!"

The cook got closer in his turn.

"This color is really terrible with the one of his hair…"

"What a bunch of retards, it's not true!"

Nami pushed through the crowd and released Zoro who collapsed on the deck, eyes wild.

"Stop playing with the medical equipment! If you damage it, it's you who will pay it back!"

The small group split up, lowering their heads, and Zoro got up with difficulty before dragging himself along the crow's nest to catch his breath away from his so-called friends.

* * *

The two sales representatives had left several hours later. Sanji had brought them a snack while they continued to look through the catalog with Chopper. Then, Nami had ferociously negotiated each price before finally agreeing on the final amount. The little reindeer had ended up with dozens of boxes spread out on the deck to put away in his infirmary and Franky had lent him a hand. Zoro had remained locked in the crow's nest for the rest of the day and he had only been out for a few minutes to eat his lunch and go back to his lair.

In the evening, the doctor kept on raving about his purchases during the meal and the rest of the crew listened to him with a tender smile.

At last, night fell and Robin filled her little watering can for her flowers. The cook didn't forget to bring her a coffee as she was going to be on watch and she smiled at this delicate attention. Sanji also offered a cup of tea to Nami and Brook then he cleaned the room before going in search of the swordsman.

He had given himself the time to be sure of his decision and now that he was, a sweet excitement was invading him at the idea of what he was going to do.

He quickly turned up at the crow's nest but found no one. He then searched at the back of the boat and in the room but his bunk was free and the others slept peacefully. The cook thought for a few seconds before a smile of anticipation stretches his lips.

He knew where to find Zoro.

* * *

A draft in the bathroom made the swordsman turn around. He had just taken a shower and his towel was still hanging from his hips. He had been relentlessly training for long hours and even he wouldn't have been able to go to bed after having so much sweated.

The door closed behind his surprise guest and he gave a hint of a smile. He had no doubt about the identity of his visitor despite the steam still present in the room. He saw his figure stand out among the curl of hot water and stop before joining him.

"Have you recovered from your adventures this morning?" the blond said in a mocking voice.

"And you, are you ready for the one you're getting into?"

The cook didn't reply but went over, nodding.

"Maybe you're righter than you know, marimo."

Zoro stared at him for a few moments without moving. The cook had his proud and confident look, at the edge of arrogance, impertinence on the tip of the tongue. No doubt he had made his decision and immediately, the swordsman decided to put him in his place. It wasn't because he wanted to assume his desire that he had to take a big head.

He brutally pinned him against the damp wall and began to lower his hands on both sides of his body which flinched at his touch, spreading his threatening aura to the fullest.

"I haven't said anything yet", the blond shuddered, suddenly hesitating between excitement and apprehension. "What makes you think that the answer goes in your way?"

"Your body speaks for you."

In doing so, the fencer cocked his head, leaving it to the cook to fill the remaining distance between their mouths to prove it to him. This one doubted just for a second before strongly grabbing the lips of his shipmate, dragging him into a hectic ballet where their tongues tried to master the one of the adversary.

After a few minutes busied to fully discover themselves, Sanji caught his breath, his cheeks red and his eyes bright.

"It's weird to kiss seaweed."

"It's weird to kiss a twisted eyebrow head."

With a mocking smile, the blond quickly put his hands around the neck of the swordsman, moving closer their two bodies already drunk from one another to resume their fight. This sensation had a delicious taste of forbidden and he let himself sink into it with a sigh of well-being.

Without waiting, Zoro brutally pulled on the sleeves of the cook's jacket and this one hastened to follow the movement to prevent it from being torn. Not leaving him any break, the swordsman then put his hands up his chest under his shirt, wringing a shiver out of the blond in front of him.

"I hope you're not gonna run away, cook."

"Why?" the other stammered against his mouth.

"Because I really don't wanna stop."

He pressed his body against his and Sanji felt the fencer's desire against his hip. This finding made him shudder and he felt his own desire assaulting him from all sides. He loosened his tie then grabbed the fencer's back and pulled his arms up his bare skin as he nibbled at his neck. Impatient, the swordsman carried on his caresses under the still present shirt then forced the garment.

"Wai-"

Too late, the buttons scattered on the floor and Zoro chucked out the fabric, satisfied. Seeing the blond coming forward him excited all his senses and he had no wish to dwell on details. So he seized the temptress mouth again while firmly holding the cook against the wall.

For his part, Sanji quickly left aside his movement. He put his hands in his turn over the chest of the fencer and for the first time, he enjoyed the sensation of the hot body against him without a second thought. He then let his fingers go up and get lost in the hair of the swordsman, becoming intoxicated with his masculine and still wet smell, never taking off their lips.

In any case, it was too late.

Too late for his shirt, too late to want to back down and too late not to be caught by bliss.

* * *

 _You finally got Zoro's point of view so don't make me wait and tell me if it convinced you!_

 _I've tried to demonstrate that Zoro and Sanji handle things very differently and that's why they're always arguing but that's also why they value the other one. Once again, I did my best with the consistency of the original characters, whether it is in the humor or more serious scenes._

 _From the next chapter, we'll swing to a new type of relationship for our two heroes with new adventures!_


	6. Just a clarification

_First of all, best wishes to all of you readers._

 _Thanks for your alerts/favorites._

 _Enjoy your reading._

* * *

 **Chapter 6**

 **Just a clarification**

After breakfast two days later, Zoro saw Sanji went down into the hold with his arms full of empty bottles while he slept with one eye open on the deck. Without thinking further, he headed for the stairs to follow him. They hadn't met again since the blond had given him his agreement in the bathroom and seeing him isolating himself had suddenly given him ideas.

Now alone in the dark room, he knew the cook had heard him. However, he wasn't moving and was continuing to put his bottles down, turning his back to him. So he got close until he touched him.

For his part, Sanji shuddered when he felt the swordsman's hot breath against his neck and he closed his eyes. As the fencer turned him around to face him, yet he pushed away his hot hands that were already making their way under his shirt.

"It's not possible, Cactus-kun."

The latter looked right into his eyes, surprised.

"Why? I thought you knew what you wanted now?"

"I do but I can't, that's all", the cook answered back.

"What's fucking going on again?" the swordsman grunted, annoyed.

"I can't today", the blond then clarified as he was creasing his clothes against his body, cheeks red.

"Really? What is it today, a special day?"

Sanji sighed deeply. Why did everything have to be explained to him? Absolutely everything? Anger suddenly burst into him at this sad fact and he glared at him.

"I can't because you're a fucking bastard who doesn't know thoughtfulness! Do you understand better now?!" he hissed between his teeth so as not to risk seeing someone turn up.

Zoro took a few seconds to realize what he implied and to his hatred, the blond saw a smirk stretch his lips.

"I didn't think you were so delicate, cook."

Sanji sternly stared at him. Perhaps the swordsman thought it was fun to take advantage of his inexperience in this area but he wouldn't do him the favor to believe he could do as he pleases if this little game was supposed to last between them.

"You're gonna calm down a bit because there's no way it'll happen like this every time. I don't know how you're doing it usually but I won't let you!"

Zoro casually shrugged.

"I never knew what the previous ones thought, I didn't ask."

"Maybe but with me, it's gonna be different."

The cook looked defiantly into his eyes. This brute should better worry a minimum about his person because despite all the pleasure that could be, he was quite sure that the physical consequences could be less important in doing it better. He felt Zoro study him for a moment and didn't look down. At least, he seemed to take his speech seriously because he had lost his superior smile.

"You seemed to be fine", the fencer remembered.

"I am fine."

"So what?"

"So I'm fine but that doesn't stop me from being in pain, you idiot!"

The swordsman frowned, preoccupied.

"That much?"

Sanji made an irritated gesture with his hand.

"Enough for me to say that it's not possible to start again like that every time."

The fencer was silent for a moment and the cook got annoyed.

"Don't tell me you don't know it! I'm novice in this field, not you!"

"Let's just say I can imagine but…"

The swordsman brightly smiled at him and Sanji ran a hand over his face. Of course. He should have known.

"Okay then I'm telling you. It hurts so if you want it to continue, you'll have to adapt. And you'll have to learn to exchange too."

Zoro frowned. He was okay to make efforts but certain parts of his anatomy weren't open to any kind of proposition. Literally.

"If it's because your constitution is so weak, I'll see what I can do", he skewed.

The blond glared at him before walking away and leaving the hold. This decision was supposed to bring them only advantages but Sanji already saw one big drawback: the swordsman was a fool even in the intimacy and he would have to ignore it to make the most of it.

* * *

"I have an important announcement to make."

The whole crew froze around the lunch table and worriedly looked at Sanji who had just spoken in a deep voice. Only Luffy went on devouring his share and those of the others.

"It's about food."

The captain stopped his fork in front of his mouth, suddenly looking frightened. He swallowed his last bite and stared at his cook with apprehension.

"We'll have to cut ourselves down a bit. We haven't made any provision on the last island and the reserves have severely declined. I suggest removing the snacks."

A deathly silence greeted his statement as the looks slowly drifted towards the captain of the crew.

"As long as we always have the ten o'clock and four o'clock snacks!" he happily replied.

"That means no more food and therefore no more meat apart from the three meals, Luffy", the blond translated for him.

"What?!"

The straw hat boy stared at him, close to tears.

"But I'm so hungry, Sanji! You can't do that!"

"It's not Sanji's fault, it's because of those pesky pirates who pillaged the last island", Ussop sighed.

"How soon will we reach our next destination?" Franky asked.

"A couple of days. A week at the most", Nami answered.

"It really shouldn't be this hard, we'll soon be able to get new supplies", Chopper pointed out to his still-unhappy captain.

"Besides, we can go fishing!" the musician said, excited.

"The restriction also applies to beverages so you're gonna put the brakes on your drinking habits, alcoholic swordsman", the cook added.

"Dammit…"

"Zoro, stop dramatizing", the navigator replied, grinding her teeth. "Everyone will make an effort."

"Fuck it."

While Nami rolled her eyes, the fencer got up and took the bottle he had in front of him.

"You better keep it all day because you won't get any more, marimo man!" Sanji shouted as the door slammed behind him.

The rest of the crew left the table with less enthusiasm than usual while the blond sighed as he thought about the coming days. The atmosphere was going to be a lot less slight now…

* * *

"Hi, Chopper! What's up?" Luffy asked as he entered the sick bay the next morning.

"I'm making new drugs from the herbs I bought at the pharmacy-boat", the little reindeer standing on his stool showed him.

"What is that?

"Bay leaf."

"And that?"

"Ginger."

"And that weird thing?"

"Usnea. It's an antiseptic plant."

The captain then plunged his hand into a mixture of green leaves before suddenly pulling it out.

"Ah! It's burning! It's burning!" he cried out.

In his distress, he pushed the various pots of the doctor which smashed onto the ground under the horrified eyes of their owner.

"It itches!"

"It's nettle, it's no big deal!" Chopper tried to calm him down. "Put this soothing cream."

The captain tore the tube out from the doctor's paws and spread a huge amount on his own hand.

"Ah, it's better!" the straw hat boy appreciated after a few moments.

The reindeer wearily picked up his scattered mixtures and then turned towards his friend.

"Luffy, would you mind getting out of the infirmary? I wouldn't want you to hurt yourself again…"

"Okay. Have fun!"

As soon as he was out, he caught sight of the gunner not far from him.

"What are you doing, Ussop?"

"An explosive mix of red beans and gunpowder!" the sniper proudly explained to his captain.

"Wow!"

Luffy ran his fingers through the mixture before bringing it to his mouth.

"It's disgusting!" he took offence.

"Of course! It's not meant to be eaten!" his friend dryly explained.

"But I'm hungry!" the captain whined.

"Let me work…"

The straw hat boy sighed and his eyes identified Robin on his deckchair. He propelled himself in her direction and landed on her lap. The archaeologist looked up from her book before lowering her eyes again, indifferent to those which were scrutinizing her with interest.

"What are you reading?"

"A book."

"A book about what?"

"A book about Bardia's runes."

"Bardia's ruins?

"Bardia's runes."

"Ah."

Luffy scratched his head over his straw hat.

"What's this?"

"An ancient writing on the legendary city of Bardia."

"Ah."

The captain stretched his neck until his head passed in front of Robin's, blocking her view.

"It's interesting?"

"It's crucial."

"What does that mean?"

"That means I have to finish this book."

Robin moved Luffy's head with a third hand and got absorbed in her work again. The straw hat boy let himself fall down beside her on the green grass of the deck, dying of boredom.

When he opened his eyes, he saw a figure getting around and he jumped up.

"Oh, Zoro!"

The swordsman froze before making a face when he saw his captain heading for him at full speed with one of his stupid smiles stuck to his face. Luffy was insufferable since the day before and he was continuously going around all the crew members. All because the cook had made arrangements to reduce the portions of food. Now he was cursing him for not having kept this vital information out of reach of Luffy's ears.

"What are you doing?" his captain asked him with curiosity.

"I'm gonna train."

"Awesome! Can I come with you?!"

"If you like."

Luffy jumped up and down as Zoro was stoically carrying on his walk to his dumbbells at the back of the Sunny. When he reached his destination, he grabbed one of them and began to strengthen his right arm while the captain was breathing like a whale to lift the other.

"It's super heavy!" he complained, his face red.

The swordsman shrugged and Luffy focused on keeping the dumbbell balanced over his head. However, he began to pitch and, carried away by the weight, he crashed into the railing that Franky had just repainted, breaking it into a thousand pieces.

"What the fuck, my dumbbell!" Zoro grumbled, watching it sink into the water.

Without losing a moment, he plunged into the sea while the cyborg glared at his captain a few steps away.

"Sorry, Franky", he laughed. "It was pretty heavy! By the way, what are you doing?"

* * *

Around the dinner table that evening, a tense silence was stretching. Luffy had redoubled his efforts to steal food from his crew and everyone was looking at him in a bad mood. Unconscious of what was going on, the captain tearfully turned towards his chief cook.

"I'm hungry…"

"Luffy, how many times I have to tell you?" the blond sighed. "You won't have anything else."

"But I'm h-"

"If you repeat it again, I make you eat your hat", the navigator seriously threatened him.

"And I throw you overboard", the carpenter added, giving him a death glare.

"But…"

"You have to calm down, Luffy", his first mate grunted. "We're not gonna starve to death."

"You could find an occupation", Chopper thought. "It would help you not thinking about it."

"I bought a new card game on Nerwa Island. You wanna test it tonight?" Ussop kindly suggested.

"Oh, I know lots of card games!" Brook enthused. "I had the time to learn them all when I drifted for fifty years on Florian Triangle! By dint of looking the cards, I had the eyes that crossed!"

"It's too funny that you say that 'cause you don't have eyes anymore!" his captain laughed, banging on the table.

"Yohohohoho!"

The two friends burst out laughing and the others exchanged disillusioned glances as Robin was softly laughing.

"Whatever, don't mind us, you can go right now", Nami offered them with a big smile full of hope.

"Oh no! We didn't have dessert!" the straw hat boy protested.

"Sanji-kun, don't make them wait", the navigator ordered him.

"Anything you want, Nami-san!"

The cook hastened to bring a tiramisu and the young redhead woman sighed when she saw that the blond still took the time to serve her and Robin first. Fortunately, Luffy swallowed his share in a second and then dragged Brook and Ussop to the door, much to the relief of the rest of the crew.

* * *

Sanji thoughtfully watched at the endless horizon of the sea from the crow's nest to escape the gusts of wind. After tidying up the kitchen, he had wanted to enjoy the new quiet among the crew. The sky was starless, the waves regularly stirred the boat and a storm couldn't be ruled out in the next few hours. However, the navigator had correctly pointed out to them that weather was coming up quicker on Grand Line than in any other part of the world. Everything was therefore possible.

The blond lit a cigarette. A new day was coming to a close on the Thousand Sunny but he wasn't yet sleepy, the stress of the day still present in him.

"Are you still in pain?"

The cook slowly turned to the fencer and took off as calmly as possible the butt cigarette he had stuck on the corner of his lips. He then seriously looked at him before blowing the smoke.

"Do you have any other icebreakers like that?" he inquired with annoyance.

Zoro shrugged and moved closer.

"You wanted me to adapt so I ask. And besides, with the shitty day I've spent thanks to you, you're lucky I'm even asking the question."

The blond rolled his eyes and sized him up for a moment longer.

"It's not perfect yet."

In reality, he was practically recovered but he didn't want to let the swordsman believe he was at his disposal so easily.

"Fuck but it's been three days!" the latter exclaimed, disappointed. "And then if you're here, there's a reason, right?"

"What are you talking about?" the blond rebelled. "You implied I wish that you put your filthy paws on me?! I've got the right to come to the crow's nest if I want, it's not your private property!"

"Everyone knows it's my place!" the swordsman strongly replied.

"But I don't give a shit, the boat is for everyone!"

"And your kitchen, I've got the right to set foot there at every turn, maybe?!"

"Why, do you wanna go?!"

"If it's to see your ugly face of stupid eyebrows, no thanks!"

"Then what's your point, idiot swordsman?!"

The two men defiantly looked at each other for a minute, their veins popping out and their eyes overflowing with anger. Sanji felt the adrenaline running in his body. There was only Zoro to set him off in such a short time. For his part, the fencer didn't think much of it. The cook's insolence had a knack for making him lose his temper and his swords never itched him as much as in front of this fool's head.

"Anyway, we wouldn't be here if you knew how to take care of people, pseudo swordsman!" the cook went on with fury. "You should be ashamed of yourself for having treated your bedmates like this without even asking them if they were fine!"

The swordsman folded his arms, his face closed.

"I wasn't gonna make small talk with them, I wasn't here for that."

"So what? It's just respect, marimo!"

Zoro sighed and leaned against a window in the crow's nest. He stubbornly stared at the open sea for a moment before speaking again.

"I didn't think I came on too strong. Even so… we took the time, right?" he finally mumbled.

Sanji stealthily watched him, still dragging on his cigarette.

"Took the time? You didn't even had the patience to undress us without tearing our clothes, I remind you. My shirt is fucked!"

"Yeah but I mean… I didn't go straight to it, you know."

"Sure, you had to hold out a good minute before getting to the point… To believe you can't hold back very long."

The cook smirked at him as she swordsman straightened, his eyes dark.

"Now that I think about it, does that mean you made an effort there?" the blond suddenly spoke again.

Stopped in his tracks, Zoro blew, visibly uncomfortable.

"A little…"

"Geez, I seriously pity those who haven't been entitled to your high-mindedness!" the cook sniggered.

"You're getting on my nerves!" the swordsman fumed. "If it was so unbearable, you could have stopped me, right? Unless that's your thing, maybe? You like being in pain?"

Sanji lost his smile in front of the fencer's sneer and stared into his eyes, furious.

"If I had wanted to, I'd have embedded you in the wall, you moron!"

"So it wasn't that bad!" the swordsman triumphed.

"For a guy who says he has experience, I was expecting better, that's all."

The cook finished his cigarette and crushed it in his ashtray while the swordsman stared at him, distraught.

"Don't freak out, marimo. I didn't say you were bad in bed", the blond tempered as he smiled again.

"Shut the fuck up, you pervert cook!"

Sanji giggled in front of the red cheeks and the embarrassed look of the fencer.

"I'm just saying there may be some improvement. And for that, we'll have to train…"

His suggestive proposal made the man by his side moved.

"And when is gonna start that training, huh?" he grumbled.

"Tonight."

"Ton-?"

Sanji brutally grabbed his lips and after the effect of surprise, the swordsman responded forcefully, squeezing him violently against him. As he was eagerly kissing him, he grunted against his mouth.

"I thought you couldn't?"

"We don't have to go that far, are we?" the cook replied in the same tone.

The answer seemed to be appropriate because the swordsman didn't add anything and continued the battle he had started for the possession of his mouth before pushing him on a piece of bench that surrounded the crow's nest along its entire length.

"Have you checked no one's here?" the blond suddenly asked, panting.

"They've gone to bed. Luffy's on watch."

"He won't go up?" he worried as Zoro was coming down to his neck.

"Don't think so. His new game's keeping him busy."

This prospect wasn't really reassuring but the cook was having a hard time keeping consistent his train of thoughts when he was feeling the swordsman's body squeeze up against his own in such a way. Running his hands under his tee-shirt, he clung a little closer on to him, urging him to deepen their contact.

They just had to pray that Luffy wouldn't go round here this night and that no storms would break out in the next few hours…

* * *

 _I love Luffy's childishness and Sanji's sass!_

 _Be warned, next chapter will be hot as hell…_


	7. Power games

_Thanks to meow3112 and Karbe MoTo for your reviews._

 _Thanks for your alerts/favorites._

 _Enjoy your reading._

* * *

 **Chapter 7**

 **Power games**

When Sanji opened an eye that morning, he found it was time for him to get up but he wanted to lay around in bed for once and he stretched himself for a long time. His gaze then turned on the marimo's empty bed who had probably fallen asleep in the crow's nest after his training the night before.

The blond went to wake up in the shower but his indolent mood turned into lustful desire and before taking on the crew's meal preparation, he decided to go enjoy his new hobby even at this early hour.

Already four days they were pushing each other's buttons with the swordsman to raise the temperature at every possible opportunity and he was having the time of his life, forgetting the endlessly lamentations of Luffy about the lack of meat.

After having climbed the rope, he discovered as planned the fencer sprawled out on the carpet on the floor of the crow's nest, visibly deeply settled in dreamland. The cook wondered how Zoro could rest in such an uncomfortable position then he remembered that anyway, the swordsman had the improbable ability to sleep everywhere to better recover.

Sanji hesitated for a moment to wake him up gently or more brutally. He didn't take long to decide and he approached with a calculating smile. He stepped over the swordsman without a sound and knelt without touching him to maintain the element of surprise. He knew Zoro had effective reflexes so he took every precaution to move his tee-shirt with his fingertips to have access to his pants.

The light touch made the body of the fencer shudder and the blond applied himself even more gently to freeing his garment at the most. Satisfied, he then put his hand on his underwear at the level of his crotch and began to sensually move while grabbing his lips at the same time.

The swordsman awoke all at once, his eye wide. He didn't take long to understand what was happening and he immediately closed his arms around the man above him, speeding up the pace of their kiss. The cook let himself be carried away by the passion of his lover and put his hand under his last garment, tightening his grip around his manhood that was growing in his hand, which in turn increased the swordsman's desire.

Very soon, Zoro was panting at the rate of the motions as he was looking for more contact under the blond's shirt. Sanji also took advantage of the sensation and he played with his tongue against the one of the fencer who finally tightened, grabbing the cook against him during his relief in a hoarse grunt.

Then the swordsman adjusted his gaze to the man above him, gasping for breath. This one was staring at him with amusement.

"Don't say I ruined your day this time!"

Zoro didn't reply, still too stunned by this so delicious awakening. He didn't flinch both when Sanji pulled away from him and stood up, yet to his deepest regret.

"See you later, Marimo-kun!" the blond cheerfully said, heading for the trap door.

* * *

"It's really good these new pancakes, Sanji!" his captain exclaimed, his mouth full at breakfast a few moments later.

"Yes, it's excellent!" Ussop agreed. "It's a new recipe?"

"Not really", the cook said. "I just put an ingredient that I had never thought of before."

"Oh? What is it?" Chopper asked with curiosity.

"I can't put my finger on it, it looks like a jam perhaps", Nami thought.

"Or a jelly", Robin added. "But I cannot say what fruit this is…"

"It's an ingredient I found this morning", the blond explained to them with a big smile. "As we have to pay attention to food, I use new recipes."

Facing him, the swordsman stopped his sleepy chewing and frowned.

"Can I have more?" Luffy begged.

"Take it. There are two left", the cook showed him.

"Awesome!"

Luffy munched his pancakes, making a mess. He then tried to recover the crumbs around his mouth with his tongue with a greedy look.

"It almost looks like honey, it sticks!" he laughed.

"You could say that", Sanji said, absentmindedly staring at the fencer as he went by.

At his words, he saw Zoro choke on his own pancake and the remaining pieces fell on his plate. When he noticed that he was anxiously looking at Luffy, he suddenly understood the reason of his strange attitude and suppressed a laugh.

"You okay, Zoro?" the straw hat boy immediately asked him. "Don't you want your pancake?"

Luffy licked one by one all his fingers in front of the swordsman in the obvious expectation of getting the pieces back. Zoro turned white as a sheet.

"I think he doesn't want it any more, you can take it", the cook suggested with amusement.

The captain threw himself onto his first mate's food and swallowed it in one bite without noticing his confusion.

Then the crew slowly left the room among the chatter while Sanji cleared the table. He watched as the swordsman heavily tore loose from his seat, still pale, and gave him a shifty glance even though they were now alone in the room.

The cook planted himself in front of him, a smile on his lips.

"Do you really think I didn't wash my hands, marimo head?"

Zoro blushed and stammered something incomprehensible. Sanji burst out laughing and threw him a little pot after having opened a cupboard.

"It's agave syrup, you pervert swordsman."

"It's your fault with your innuendos and what you did this morning…"

"Sure. You really have a dirty mind…"

The fencer put down the pot, grumbling in spite of his relief, and went to the door in his turn, leaving the blond laughing in his kitchen.

* * *

In the middle of the morning, Nami announced to the crew that they would reach the next island the next day, which delighted everyone. Luffy in particular shouted with glee at the thought of not being limited on the food again and the cook got carried away by his good mood, promising him a delicious lunch.

So Sanji was dealing with his dishes for a while when he turned around to the sound of the opening door. He saw Zoro hesitate on the doorstep and frowned.

"What do you want?"

"Nothin'."

"Nothing?" the blond on the defensive repeated. "Nothing like a bottle? I already said to you th-"

"No."

The swordsman took a chair and sat in silence under the cook's puzzled gaze. Maybe he was still mad that he had made fun of him this morning? Finally, as Zoro wasn't moving, he shrugged and continued his preparation.

He finely cut the onions and peppers before adding them to the chicken that browned in the olive oil then he chopped the herbs before tasting the sauce and adding a hint of cinnamon. He then began to melt chocolate with a knob of butter for dessert. He had planned on making a black forest, a cake that Nami was particularly fond of. While thinking about her favorite navigator, the blond put the finishing touches to his homemade whipped cream before putting it in the fridge. He then turn off heat under his dish and covered it before chiseling new fresh herbs that he would set down at the last moment on the plates.

"Cook."

Oh. He actually had forgotten this one.

"Hm?"

The swordsman had watched all the chief's movements. He was rarely taking the time to see him glide in his true environment, his kitchen. His ease and dexterity indisputably placed him in his element, making him forget everything else. So Zoro had been able to observe him at his leisure.

When he had come in, he had set his mind then he had paused. Usually, he didn't bother with niceties but this time, he had wondered if he wasn't hearing himself too much. Although their hobby was pleasant, still it shouldn't become his main activity. So he had taken the time to sit down to restrain himself but seeing the blond getting restless in front of him had got the better of his thoughts. It had been days since he and Sanji were pushing each other's buttons and he was reaching his limit.

"I'm hungry."

The cook turned towards him, curious. The man was seriously staring at him.

"It will be ready in a whole twenty minutes."

Zoro stood up and Sanji watched as he approached him, more and more surprised.

"I'm hungry for you", the swordsman stated, planting himself a centimeter in front of him, perfectly serious.

"Oh…"

He hadn't seen it coming but this summary invitation wasn't unpleasant. He glanced at his dishes before drawing his attention back to the swordsman, his steamy look never leaving him.

"I still have the chocolate ganache's cake to do and…"

"You'll have time."

Sanji had doubts about it but the man's eyes in front of him completely hypnotized him. Zoro leaned forward to impatiently kiss him and the blond felt his last hesitation melt away like snow in the sun.

"We're going to the aquarium, no question of ruining my preparations so close to meal time", he then decided.

The swordsman nodded, not caring about the place as long as he was getting what he wanted.

They were going towards the back door to stay as discreet as possible when Nami's voice rang out from outside.

"Everybody on deck!"

The two men exchanged a look and Zoro sighed as the cook was already rushing towards the navigator. He quickly followed and found the rest of the crew. Outside, the wind had strengthened and the young woman had slipped into a raincoat.

"I think we're going to have a little gust of wind, get ready!" she shouted at them.

Everyone nodded. The sky was clear but Nami's intuition was never wrong and they were still busy when they saw black clouds looming on the horizon.

* * *

Finally, the meal took place an hour later, the storm having quickly fallen to make room for simple gray clouds. Over the course of the afternoon, the weather stabilized on the next island's climate in a beautiful blue sky, giving spring sunshine and a warm breeze. Then the cook wanted to treat his friends to an unexpected snack in the late afternoon. He could empty his reserves since he would go shopping the next day.

"Round of ice cream!"

"Awesome!" the captain yelled, rushing to Sanji.

However, he was stopped in his tracks by the cook's foot in his stomach, taking his breath away.

"Girls first, rude rubber!" the blond rebelled.

He turned towards the navigator and the archaeologist who were resting in their deckchairs, a charming smile on his lips.

"Ladies, let yourself be tempted by our many flavors. Pineapple and coconut for young girls looking for exoticism, red berries for passionate ones or classic dark chocolate for those who aren't afraid to lit up in front of strong aromas. All our flavors are livened up by homemade whipped cream, dark chocolate chips and raspberry coulis."

The girls had a smile to thank him and Nami chose the red berries while Robin took a pineapple-coconut bowl. The cook gave them a last charming look before turning towards the boys who drooled behind him.

"I want the strong chocolate!" Luffy immediately exclaimed.

"Strong chocolate!" Brook blissfully repeated.

"I want red berries, please, Sanji!" Ussop begged.

"Me too!" Chopper asked.

"Chocolate, it suits me", the cyborg said.

The blond finished his distribution by Zoro who had been dozing against the mast. Franky sat down a little further to think about a new gadget and Brook sat next to him to compose a new ballad on the icy flavors' theme that refreshed the body he no longer had.

"There's pineapple-coconut, marimo head", Sanji showed him, handing the bowl to the fencer.

"I don't like that", he grumbled, looking disgusted.

"Since when?" the cook wondered. "You usually eat all foods."

"When I have the choice, I have preferences and I don't like pineapple-coconut."

Sanji mumbled. He hated when his cooking was called into question but as a good professional, it was his duty to satisfy his guests. Even if it was this fool.

"What kind of flavor do you like?" he wearily asked.

"Chocolate mint."

"Well… I should have known."

"Why?" the other asked, surprised.

"Because it's as green as your marimo head!" the cook sneered.

He burst into laughter and Zoro scowled.

He was feeling generous so he went away to his kitchen and made another bowl of ice cream. He shook his head in front of the raspberry coulis that wouldn't go that well with mint and took the time to melt some chocolate instead.

When he showed his ice cream to the swordsman, this one took it with his fingertips, still grumpy, and the blond frowned. He had totally remade a bowl for him, he could show a minimum level of gratitude!

"Don't look so glad, you bastard", he grumbled.

"It's okay, it's just ice cream. You're not gonna cry for that, are you?" the fencer replied, delighted to regain the upper hand.

"Sanji, there are other ice creams?" Luffy asked, smeared with chocolate.

"You've eaten enough sugar for today, you."

"Oh…"

The straw hat boy spread over the grass of the deck not far from them and Chopper and Ussop soon joined him. The blond was now in a bad mood and he was watching the swordsman enjoy his ice cream with small bites, a smug look stuck on his face.

"You know what we need on the Sunny?" the captain suddenly asked to his two friends next to him. "A swimming pool!"

"A swimming pool? But you can't even swim!" the sniper pointed out.

"An ice creams' pool!" Luffy stated with determination.

"Oh, that would be nice!" the little reindeer imagined with delight, already closing his eyes.

"We could rest while being cool and as soon as we're hungry, hop, ice cream!" the captain explained.

"But it'd melt", Ussop reminded them. "It wouldn't last five minutes!"

"Franky will make a permanent cooler!" his captain exclaimed. "There'll be all the flavors we want! Right, Franky?!"

The engineer vaguely nodded and Luffy took it for an approval when it was more likely that he didn't even heard his question.

The cook slunk away, a devilish smile on his lips. He had just had a genius idea to mess with the pseudo swordsman.

He came back a few moments later, the remaining pineapple-coconut ice cream pushed into a cone and he innocently sat down in front of the fencer not far from his friends.

Luffy was continuing to make them dream.

"One day, the pool will be filled with chocolate ice cream, then strawberry, then vanilla, then…"

He went on listing all the ice creams' flavor of the Creation while Sanji quietly ate his own. Or rather, sensually licked his cone from Zoro's point of view in front of him. Besides, he was almost sure the blond was doing it on purpose to get revenge on his lack of politeness earlier. And it was working.

"We could make soft ice-cream days!" Chopper suddenly stepped in. "Double flavor!"

"These are the best ice creams!" the gunner agreed. "A mouthful of vanilla. A mouthful of strawberry. Hmmm!"

Zoro held his breath as the blond slowly moved his tongue over the length of the sorbet before swallowing the coconut tip, keeping his eyes on him. Was he dreaming or the cook was teasing him with ice cream in front of the whole crew?

What a…

"And you know what's even better?" Luffy excitedly carried on. "Whipped cream! It's as light as a cloud and it melts in the mouth!"

… Pervert.

The cook swallowed the ice cream all the way to the cone before removing it and licking his lips, his eyes still glued to his. The swordsman swallowed hard and gave him a burning look, only hoping that no one was looking in their direction.

"An ice cream's pool with whipped cream would be a dream", Chopper confirmed as the three friends sighed in unison.

Sanji let his tongue play around the ice cream and felt Zoro's blazing look on him. The tension had clearly stepped up a notch between them and he was glad they were outside.

He stared at the man a few feet away and licked his ice cream again, eye-to-eye with the swordsman. As he felt Zoro tense, he firmly looked one last time at him before munching the sorbet, clearly severing it.

The fencer slightly jumped in front of him and Sanji gave him his best smile. Crestfallen, the swordsman moved against the mast.

The cook got up without glancing at him and picked up everyone's cups before washing them and happily tackling the evening meal.

That would teach him to believe that he could behave like a spoiled child with him!

* * *

Zoro had gone to train after the ice cream's episode and the cook didn't see him again until the meal, which he decided to claim as victory. Yet during dinner, the swordsman sent him signs that couldn't be mistaken and his eyes full of challenge assured him that the game wasn't over yet.

Sanji was firmly waiting for him. If they had something in common, it was their desire to never submit to the other, whatever the subject was.

* * *

"You thought you were gonna get away with this?"

The warm and smooth voice in his back sent Sanji a delicious shiver without even turning around. He continued to rinse the plate he was holding in his hands, taking his time. The fencer had taken his, probably waiting for the Sunny to fall asleep and he heard him put his swords against the wall before locking the door. The message was clear.

"What are you complaining about? You didn't like it?" he smirked.

"I'm still hungry. It's not worthy of a real cook", the swordsman said, coming closer.

The blond finally turned, a provocative smile on his lips.

"It's because you're not the type to savor. You devour right away but you'd appreciate it more by taking the time to enjoy every bite."

"If you know how to change the flavors, I'm sure I could enjoy myself."

"Never tell a chef how to do it. He decides what will be lucky enough to be on the menu."

The two lovers faced each other, their eyes sparkling. None of them wanted to lose the verbal duel they had started but their words were awakening their senses.

"And then, you'll come and tell me you haven't a dirty mind, huh?" the blond laughed.

"It must be said you know a lot about hint, damn pervert."

"I admit that seeing you imagine all I can do to you is a real pleasure."

Zoro stepped forward, his predatory smile in the corner of the mouth.

"To think that until a short time ago you wanted me to believe it wasn't your thing. You know how to keep your cards hidden…"

"I guess I thought I couldn't get anything out of your broccoli head."

The swordsman snickered.

"You have a lot of nerve for having turning me on like that earlier, cook and I intend to make you scream so that you regret it tonight."

"You'll be the one who'll beg me to finish you before dawn", the cook answered in the same tone.

"I'm gonna teach you a lesson, two-bit womanizer", Zoro whispered as he brutally brought him closer to him.

"Then what are you waitin' for, stupid swordsman? An engraved invitation?"

The fencer crossed in a flash the few inches that still stood between them, savagely throwing himself onto his lips and drawing him up against himself. In response, Sanji immediately put his hands under his tee-shirt and scratched his back to hold him. Zoro then took on his neck and pushed him against the nearest wall so that his hands could move on the rest of his body.

The cook was determined to not let himself be led and he resolved to use the hard way to achieve his ends. With a well-placed kick, he destabilized the swordsman who fell to the ground and before he could get up, he sat astride him while regaining possession of his lips.

The swordsman had understood his intentions and he tried to use his strength to turn the tables. Sensing his motion, the blond moved his pelvis against his and their masculinities rubbed deliciously, stopping the fencer in his efforts, breathless. Sanji then secured his influence by taking his own shirt off and giving his chest to the eager hands of the swordsman while he was taking his tee-shirt off. In the process, he unbuttoned Zoro's pants and dropped it along with his underpants which he sent flying further as well as his boots.

The swordsman had only his bandana tied to his left arm and the blond decided to keep it there, finding this picture rather erotic. The latter didn't flinch, focused on his only impatience, and Sanji finally slid his hand over his hardened manhood.

The cook had put away his anxiety and embarrassment in the back of his brain, too focused on his victory over the fencer's body and his irregular breathing. The swordsman sensed what was going to happen and he didn't dare moving. It was exactly what the blond wanted, that Zoro would leave it to him and he could impose his own pace.

Sanji confidently stared into the feverish gaze of the swordsman and ran his tongue over his lips, defiant as hell.

"Trust me, you'll never look at an ice cream the same way again, marimo."

The swordsman's eyes widened as he felt the cook's tongue lazily going back along his proudly erect member. He couldn't believe that Sanji was daring to stare at him in that posture, a challenging look deep into his eyes. He was gonna pay for it.

He tried to regain control by straightening to show him he wasn't sensitive to his caresses but the blond closed his mouth all around him and Zoro fell backwards, out of action.

"Bastard…"

He felt a smile stretch the cook's lips and bit his tongue to leave him no other source of satisfaction.

"If you want me to stop, feel free to beg me", his lover scoffed against his skin.

"I can tell you're a beginner", he retorted, yet panting.

Sanji raised his eyebrows, a playful smile in the corner of the lips. He resumed his strokes with the tip of his tongue and added his hand to vary the pleasures. Despite his willpower to resist him, he felt that Zoro was tightening and his breathing was quickening. He then increased his motions and the swordsman's fingers sank into the ground to prevent him from completely losing face in front of the blond. The latter continued his actions until he felt the fencer bend against him before suddenly withdrawing.

With a crazy look, the swordsman straightened up on one elbow and stared at him. Sanji gave him a huge innocent smile which supremely annoyed him.

"What the fuck are you doing?!" he gasped, glaring at him.

"I'm having fun."

"Don't start this all over again!"

"That's up to you…"

"You can't do that!" he fumed.

"Just say the word: please."

"Screw you!"

"As you wish."

"Asshole…"

The fencer let himself fall to the ground again, greatly annoyed. The cook began to draw small languorous circles with his fingertips on the swordsman's belly which was rising at a rapid pace. He then pressed his strokes and casually played with his manhood still hardened. Zoro could have blown him off or even get his stuff back and leave but he obviously didn't have the strength. Or the desire.

"You have no right to do that", the swordsman muttered again.

"I have every right."

"You really are a bloody pervert…"

"One word."

Sanji sensually licked the fencer's chest whose hips rose without meeting anything that could appease him. The blond then increased his motions and felt Zoro's hands crash hard on his shoulders. The swordsman had a lot of willpower but he was determined to win tonight's duel.

"Do it…" the fencer panted.

The cook continued to play lasciviously with his tongue on his chest while brushing against his hips and the breath of the swordsman locked over him.

"What were you saying?"

Zoro released his breath and bit his lips. Sanji took the opportunity to run his tongue along his overheated male organ and a hoarse grunt escaped him.

"Dammit, do it!"

"Tell me the magic word…"

"Please… Do it…"

The swordsman didn't have dignity anymore but he had no limit either. He wanted the cook to get to the bottom and release him from his torture by all means.

"See, that wasn't so hard, was it?

"Shut the fuck up now!"

The blond couldn't hold back his laughter but once he had given his word, he kept it and he put his mouth on his manhood, covering it with small kisses before slowly playing with his tongue. Above him, all the muscles of the swordsman were tensing with each of his breath and when he entirely wrapped it with his mouth, the fencer breathed out with relief, accompanying his motions with his hips faster and faster.

The position was far from comfortable for the cook but hearing Zoro lose control was worth it and he used his hand to stimulate him further as he was catching his breath. He wasn't sure how to get it right and being on his knees between the legs of the swordsman had been a little turnoff at first but finally, he had quickly realized that he was in the best place to take power. Each jerky breathing in, every motion of the fencer's body was depending on him. He then took advantage of it to twirl his tongue over the top of the tight manhood and enjoyed the hoarse grunt he wrung out of the man above him. It definitely was more exciting than expected…

Suddenly, the swordsman's body violently tensed up and Sanji felt himself being tearing out from his activity before his lover released himself on his own belly. As the fencer was catching his breath, his eyes closed, the blond stared at him, surprised.

"You didn't want me…"

"What, would you have wanted?"

"Uh… No, I don't think so", the cook admitted. "I was just thinking you wouldn't do me any favors."

Zoro opened his eyes and turned to him.

"You're gonna regret it, darts eyebrow. I'm gonna make you scream so much you'll have a loss of voice tomorrow morning."

Sanji responded to his provocation with a suggestive look. In reality, he thought that after this intensity, Zoro would slip into sleep without further ado but he clearly had underestimated the swordsman. Decidedly, none of them liked to lose…

The fencer got up and grabbed his tee-shirt, nonchalantly wiping his belly with it before flinging it on the worktop. Having also stood on his own two feet again, the blond followed his move with his eyes, displeased.

"Don't throw it anywhere, you're still in a kitchen!"

"Don't try to change the subject. You're gonna get it", the man retorted, bringing him closer to him, a predatory smile at the corner of his lips.

He ripped his bandana off and, completely naked, eagerly kissed him while letting his hands run through his white chest, leaving burning marks all along his skin. Sanji was probably expecting him to be as impatient as usual and he was determined to surprise him. Besides, thanks to his little treat, he could more easily be calm now.

Against him, the cook was already starting to react. He was tightening his grip around the swordsman's body who ran his hand against his crotch to size up his degree of excitation. Satisfied about it, Zoro slowly unbuckled his belt while continuing his kisses on his mouth before going down to his collarbone.

Sanji was on guard. He knew the fencer had something in mind but he didn't know what and the apprehension was fighting over the delight that gradually took him over. Zoro was giving him wonderful shivers in the small of his back while he was just kissing him… Stupid swordsman, why was he so good at it? Yet the cook couldn't refuse this challenge because cowardice would be worse than defeat. He held a groan when he felt his lover's hands slowly massage his penis while biting his left nipple. He tried to grab the wall behind him but he was too far away and reluctantly, he wrapped his arms around the swordman's shoulders, drawing him even closer.

Zoro had finally got rid of the blond's pants and this one had taken care of his shoes and socks in a single motion. The swordsman was feeling him hurrying more and more against him, demanding a greater contact that he didn't want to express out loud.

That was the fencer's tactic. He was going to drive him so crazy that he would have nothing to demand and it would be Sanji who was going to stoop to ask him what he wanted. A mischievous smile on his lips, he voluntarily rubbed his manhood against the one of his lover, wresting a groan of frustration from him when the cook found that his underwear was still an obstacle between them. Carrying his strokes on his chest, the swordsman nibbled his neck before licking his ear lobe and go down to his neck.

Sanji was really hot now. Between his hands, his mouth and his crotch, Zoro seemed to cover his entire body, leaving him no rest to catch his breath and his senses. His penis was seriously starting to hurt because of the frictions too precarious and fast. Nevertheless, his lover wasn't moving on to the next thing, like he was determined to make him languish.

"What are you waiting for, marimo?" he whispered.

"What, already?" the man quietly answered against his ear.

Already? the cook repeated himself. It was at least fifteen minutes that he was turning him on, he didn't want to move on? Zoro continued to annoy him with his tongue in his neck and the blond had more and more trouble staying on his feet. When the swordsman lifted his hands up his belly to his nipples, Sanji felt his breathing speed up without him being able to do anything about it. He couldn't indefinitely stay like that, he wasn't going to hold…

He grabbed the fencer and dragged him to the bench of the room without peeling off their lips, feeling the excitement twisting his back. He lay down and Zoro followed the motion above him, kissing him more and going down to redraw his abdominal muscles for long minutes.

Reaching excitement pitch, Sanji sat up again and slid his underwear over his legs under the mocking gaze of his shipmate.

"You're a real virgin, stupid eyebrows."

"Shut up. I thought you were gonna make me scream, cactus head?"

"It'll come."

If only Zoro knew how right he was. Because when their manhood met without the fabric barrier, the cook arched in a hoarse groan that sent chills to his torturer. The swordsman also had to make an effort to control himself, his excitement coming back at full speed in the last few minutes. However, he felt that the blond was coming to the end of his patience and that he would soon give his pride up.

Indeed, Sanji was losing himself in feelings. They overwhelmed him before giving him to a new wave. He controlled less and less his sighs and groans to which Zoro answered by redoubling his efforts. He knew what the fencer was waiting for. That he cracks. And he felt he would soon reach his breaking point but he wanted more.

"Zoro…"

The swordsman lifted his head from his chest, a smile on his lips.

"What do you want?" he whispered.

"You know very well", the cook grumbled.

"Are you sure? I wouldn't want you to be hurt this time", he asked, falsely worried.

"Don't piss me off, idiot! I say I'm ready!"

"All right…"

Zoro hid his broad smile against the quivering belly of his lover. If Sanji thought his ordeal was over, he would soon realize his mistake…

He approached a finger of his bottom which actually had no difficulty in going in. The second one was more laborious but also engendered more pleasure for his partner who was panting harder and harder. The swordsman moved inside, for once taking the time to properly prepare him in order to accentuate his exaltation and finally, he found what he was looking for.

The blond's cry of surprise gave him his victory and he began to aim at his tender spot, sending the cook in the seventh heaven at full speed among shameless moans he didn't even try to hide.

The state of his lover was seriously starting to drive him crazy and the swordsman sighed with relief when Sanji's hand stopped him and that his wild gaze fell on him.

"Hurry the fuck up", he hoarsely whispered.

Zoro didn't try to keep the suspense last any longer and he penetrated him all at once, yet stopping the time needed for Sanji to get used to his presence and that the inevitable pain ease. Seizing his lips to relax him more quickly, he felt the blond dug his nails into his shoulders before encouraging him to move with small motions of the pelvis. The race for release was now launched but the swordsman wasn't forgetting his promise and he moved until he found what was striking down his lover.  
Overwhelmed by the pleasure and amazement that his partner was giving him with this motion, the cook let himself go backwards while Zoro was steadying his hold on his hips, making him suffocate with every thrust.

The swordsman was feeling Sanji contract more and more regularly around him, threatening him in his turn to make him lose control. However, he couldn't flinch before he did and he leaned toward his hot body to grab his manhood, going back and forth. The blond straight away arched his back and leaned against his forearms, jerky breathing and uninterrupted moans. A few seconds later, he released himself between their sweaty bodies and Zoro joined him two thrusts later, collapsing on him.

Then they granted themselves a good minute of silent recovery before Sanji spoke.

"Shit… What was that about?" he whispered, still out of breath.

Zoro pulled back and rolled to the side against the wall. A satisfied smile on his lips, he watched him, resting on one elbow.

"That was the proof I can make you scream like a girl."

"You're one to talk, moss head. You just begged me earlier!"

"It was beginner's luck…"

"Still, we're at 3-1 today", the blond pointed out with a mocking smile, catching his cigarettes with his fingertips.

"3-1?"

"Three times for you, only one for me. I may be the rookie but I'm not the one who can't hold back."

Zoro said nothing more but he resolved to go back to balance as soon as possible.

"On the other hand, I must admit you've gotten better", the cook thoughtfully said, blowing his smoke.

The swordsman was immediately happy again.

"If you're good, I might consider to do this again one of these days", he chuckled.

"In your dreams. It's you who's gonna get it next time."

The fencer frowned and Sanji finished his cigarette before slowly put it out without noticing his concerned look. A new silence enveloped them and the blond felt himself sucked into sleeping.

"I think I'm gonna sleep here", he mumbled.

"Do what you want but it would be weird if someone turns up out of the blue."

"Dammit…"

Sanji wriggled free of the bench. To think that he still had to wash before going to bed… He straightened up and feebly tried to put on his clothes.

For his part, Zoro didn't bother to dress and after picking them up, he quietly left the room, his clothes in one hand and his swords in the other.

* * *

 _Hope you liked it!_


	8. Hide-and-seek

**Chapter 8**

 **Hide-and-seek**

The next afternoon, Franky brought relief to his crew.

"Island in sight!"

Immediately, a human tide invaded the deck and all eyes were on the piece of land with excitement.

"Finally, food and adventure!" Luffy shouted, thrilled.

"It's Almond Trees Island", Nami explained as they were discovering a mountainous island with green walls.

"They are exporting almonds all over the Grand Line area", Robin confirmed.

"Almonds are great for health", Sanji appreciated, lighting a cigarette.

"We can have new recipes?" his captain inquired, his eyes bright.

"Almond trout, almond cake, almond chicken", the cook listed, delighting the straw hat boy more and more.

"We'll go by the market and this time, we'll really fill up", the navigator agreed.

The Sunny docked in the calm bay of the island and Nami was watching out for the screams in terror linked to the boat's Jolly Roger but not a guard came to even claim the mooring fee. She appreciated the island even more.

After allocating orders, recommendations and blows, the redhead let everyone get down to their task. Sanji and Chopper were assigned to the shopping, Franky and Brook to the cola reserves, Robin and Nami to go round the shops, Zoro to the Sunny's watch and Ussop to Luffy's who had ejected from the boat as soon as they had their back turned.

A second later, the straw hat crew members set foot enthusiastically on the mainland and dashed into the streets cheerfully.

* * *

"Look, Ussop! A show!"

The sniper clung on to the wall, his tongue hanging out. After quickly finding Luffy who was gazing blissfully a spit-roasted chicken turn, he had bought one to please him. Since then, and to his utter despair, the captain was running everywhere to discover the city.

"Luffy, for God's sake", he begged. "Stop running around… I can't stand this anymore…"

"But look!"

The captain pressed his long nose to the poster on the wall and the gunner made an effort to adjust his sight.

"A big party in honor of the eclipse", he read. "What eclipse?"

"The eclipse of noon tomorrow, young people!" a rotund inhabitant at their side answered, a broad smile on his lips. "You haven't heard?"

As the two were shaking their heads negatively, he continued.

"A total solar eclipse will take place tomorrow at noon. It's a very rare event and there'll be lots of entertainments in the evening to celebrate. Stallholders will be present, musicians are coming from all over the region and there'll be a competition of the biggest eater of almonds!"

"A food contest? That's great!" Luffy exclaimed.

"You can register but I warn you, there are very good eaters around here!"

"Don't worry about him", Ussop reassured him, sighing.

"So enjoy it!" the inhabitant finished, resuming his way.

"Thank you! Goodbye!" they answered in unison.

* * *

The cook carefully examined the different almonds' varieties spread out before him. He had never seen so many and he was absolutely delighted with his discoveries, dozens of new recipes germinating in his mind at their sight. Not far from him, Chopper was selecting dried herbs by the island's sun whose scents invaded the whole market.

Suddenly, Sanji jumped. The swordsman had come so close he had almost bumped into him when he had turned around.

"Jeez, what are you doing here, you?!" he barked. "Weren't you supposed to watch the boat?"

"I took a break."

"Huh?"

"Come here five minutes…"

"But you're completely out of y-"

"Shut up, Chopper's gonna hear you."

The cook gave him an angry look and moved a little while actually lowering his voice despite the noisy crowd.

"You're completely out of your mind!" he repeated. "Leaving the Sunny unattended! I know I got you in seventh heaven last night but even s-"

"Brook and Franky came back", the swordsman interrupted. "I thought we might have time…"

"I haven't finished the shopping", the blond grumbled. "And how did you manage to come here by the way?"

Zoro felt his cheeks coloring.

"I searched… a little."

"How long?" Sanji wanted to know, raising a mocking eyebrow.

"Not that long", the swordsman dodged.

"Of course…"

"Well then, are you coming or not?"

"But where do you want us to do… that?" the blond inquired, half puzzled half annoyed.

"Don't know… The street over there, it's-"

"Forget it, I'm not that desperate", the cook calmly said. "I must finish the shopping anyway."

The swordsman scowled and the blond couldn't help but smile.

"Don't worry, we'll have other opportunities."

"Oh, Zoro, what are you doing here?" Chopper asked, approaching.

"He got lost", the cook said, shrugging his shoulders.

"Not a bit. Franky asked me to tell the cook he needed other cola supplies. We gotta go help him."

"Really?" the little reindeer said. "But, what about shopping?"

"Yeah, what about shopping, Cactus-kun?" the cook sneered, understanding Zoro's maneuver.

"Let's hustle and we're going after", he explained confidently.

"I want to meet the almond leafs specialists", Chopper said. "I'll meet you there, okay?"

"No problem."

Zoro watched the reindeer walked away, a triumphant smile on his lips.

"You're lucky, moron", the cook snapped once certain Chopper couldn't hear them.

"Let's move it with your almonds", the swordsman replied, obviously in a hurry.

Sanji sighed and refocused on the stall in front of him.

* * *

Nami threw a twentieth skirt on the pile in front of her.

"This one too, miss?" the salesman asked, a huge smile on his lips.

"No, just the first one. The others are too expensive."

"W-well", the man stammered. "And you, miss?" he said, turning towards Robin.

"I'm going to take this blouse", she answered, holding him the garment.

"That be all?"

"No. We're going to look at the shoes now!" the navigator exclaimed with delight.

"My pleasure. This way, please."

The seller sighed inside. These two pests made him empty his shelves to take only tiny items. It was time he asked for a raise to his boss…

* * *

The swordsman pushed the cook with a shove of the shoulder to an alley away from the agitation of the market, causing him to stumble.

"Are you out of your bleedin' mind?" the blond got mad, restoring his balance and his bags of almonds narrowly.

"Stop playing the killjoy", Zoro grumbled, pulling him against him after flinging his own bags whose treasure escaped to the ground.

"My almonds!" the blond went upset.

The fencer sighed.

"Don't you wanna forget your food for five minutes?" he groaned. "You look like Luffy…"

"At least he'd be more careful than you are with this food!" the cook sharply replied. "Everything's screwed up now, stupid!"

"I don't wanna fight", the latter whispered, sinking into his neck.

"No way, marimo!" Sanji pushed him away. "You don't deserve it!"

The swordsman's eye widened, taken aback.

"What d'you mean?"

"You don't deserve that I leave you the privilege to touch my wonderful body. You're too disrespectful!"

"You're nuts", he grunted.

"Still, you'd better off keeping yourself in check until tomorrow if you wanna take advantage of me!"

"Tomorrow?" Zoro repeated, annoyed. "But why wait until tomorrow?"

"Because you ruined my purchases and I have to go back and then because I decided it'd be like that so you have no choice!" the blond settled.

Sanji picked up the last spared bags and went back to the market crowd while the swordsman felt his jaw tense violently as he was watching him walk away.

* * *

The blond picked up the last plates and went back to the kitchen to put them down after dinner on the Sunny. As he was coming out, he felt the look of the fencer absently hanging out on him. Indeed, Zoro wasn't participating in the lively discussion of the table put up on the deck. He couldn't care less about this eclipse and the weirdos who worshipped it but all the others found it exciting and had already planned to attend the festivities of the next day.

With an air worthy of the greatest actors, Sanji took advantage of the joyful mess to voluntarily graze Zoro's hand when he grabbed his bottle. The latter jumped and cast a questioning look at him but the cook superbly ignored him, throwing the swordsman into gloom again. Shortly after, he started over the same thing by brushing against his leg under the table while smoking his cigarette, pretending to be interested in the discussion. Once again, Zoro moved, obviously lost by the mixed signals he thought he was getting and Sanji didn't regret his diabolical idea. This idiot had to pay for his harshness in the morning and there was nothing like making him crazy as long as possible.

When everyone went to bed a few moments later, the blond finished cleaning his kitchen and was about to get back to his bunk when he saw the swordsman on deck for his watch. Sanji smiled. Checking that no one else was sticking around, he took off his jacket and shirt before nonchalantly walk past the swordsman who opened his eyes wide as he approached.

"Fuck, cook! What are you doing half naked?"

"Huh? Oh, nothing. A little accident just now", he answered with detachment.

"What happened?"

"There was boiling oil in a saucepan and I turned around too quickly. Well, while you're here, don't you wanna check it didn't burn me?" he asked, turning his back for him to examine it. "I wouldn't like bothering Chopper but it still ruined my shirt", he continued, sounding affected.

Zoro glanced at the cook's white shoulders and muscular back. He hesitated a second before giving in to temptation and put a hand on his waist.

"Touch with your eyes, okay?" the blond stopped him. "I may be hurt."

"You got nothing", the swordsman grumbled after a few moments of examination without wandering hand.

"Here I am relieved."

With these words, the cook continued his way to his bed with a big smile, knowingly ignoring the torments of the other man.

* * *

The next day, Zoro silently entered the boys' quarters where Sanji was finishing tying his tie. It was almost noon and everyone was getting ready to go on the city square to admire the total solar eclipse.

"Time's up", the swordsman sneakily pointed out behind his back.

The cook didn't even bother to turn and looked at himself in the mirror.

"No", he quietly answered.

"You said tomorrow and it was yesterday!" the fencer strongly reminded him.

"We have until 23:59 as far as I know so stop whining."

Zoro felt anger flooded through him. He was willing to bet that the blond was reveling in the situation since the day before and that he enjoyed it blithely. Sanji was taking a little too much pleasure to upset him whenever he had the chance and their new relationship made no difference. On the contrary, he seemed to have discovered an additional way of getting on the nerves of his rival and lover. The fencer had the impression that the cook continued to want to play hard to get by all means and he was hesitating between irritation and attractive provocation.

"All right, I don't care anyway. I don't feel like doing it", he said, folding his arms.

"Of course."

Sanji turned at last, a confident smile on his face, and boldly put his hand on the swordsman's pants who gazed at him in surprise. The blond had only a few seconds to wait before feeling his manhood waking up.

"I'm not worried", he burst out laughing as Zoro flushed.

"Perverted cook!"

"Sanji-kun! Zoro!" Nami called from the outside. "Let's go!"

"I'm coming, Nami-san!" the cook exclaimed, flying to the door.

The swordsman took a few seconds to calm down before he followed suit. He didn't know what to think of his attitude. He couldn't tell if it was an extension of their rivalry or if Sanji was still taking advantage of it to duck out of his desire.

Finally, he shrugged. The blond always ended up being unable to resist and Zoro was getting what he wanted then the cook could try to run away, the swordsman was still victorious.

* * *

The moon was darkening the solar star, making the atmosphere magical and unreal. On the square around them, shouts of joy and admiration began to fuse and the straw hat crew members weren't left behind, amazed. The downtown square was huge and it seemed to them that the whole city had made an appointment here. For the occasion, they had put on special glasses recommended by Ussop to protect them from the sun's rays and they were staring at the sky with fascination. All but the swordsman who was looking at the sea beyond the horizon with a bored look.

"Don't tell me you're upset?" the cook who had come closer whispered stealthily.

The latter shrugged.

"It sucks."

"I don't believe it, what a bad taste!"

The swordsman rolled his eyes and dived back into his dreary contemplation when he felt Sanji's hand quietly pull his own. Then he saw the cook silently beckoned over him to move back and he followed him, tempted by his seductive smile. At the crossing of the street, they walked a little further from the crowd, protected by the narrowness of a small street and the growing darkness.

"You should learn to enjoy spectacles of nature", Sanji whispered before unceremoniously kissing him.

"I'm working on it", the other grumbled, bringing their two bodies together with a sudden move.

Hidden by the total darkness now, Sanji put his hands under the swordsman's clothes on his back to keep him close to his own skin as Zoro's were trying to cover as much space as possible along his body. Their tongues got tangled and their breaths became scarce but the sensation was too delicious to be stopped. They only had a few minutes and they had to enjoy it.

Time running too fast, the brightness returned and the blond resolved to gently push back his partner. He loved those little stolen moments he was snatching from the fencer when he wasn't expecting it. He liked showing him he could as well give him paradise or hell according to his desires.

"It was a little taste for tonight", he promised, out of breath and his eyes filled with defiance.

The swordsman nodded and reluctantly came unstuck from his body, aware that their secret was only a matter of seconds now.

They got back to their positions near their friends just in time to see them remove their glasses and exchange their feelings with excitement. Zoro looked into the cook's eyes beyond laughter and cheers of the crew.

Tonight. He had promised.

* * *

The night party given in honor of the eclipse was royal. In the square occupied by the crowd that morning, trestles and multicolored stands had taken place in the middle of large tables. The music and laughter echoed around them while a mouth-watering smell of roasted groundnuts immediately attracted the crew's captain towards the competition of the biggest eater of almonds.

"Ussop, are you joining?" he asked his friend.

"Why not", the gunner said. "It's an adventure that doesn't seem too risky for once!"

"You could always die from indigestion", the archaeologist pointed out by his side.

"Thanks, Robin", he groused. "I'm just gonna settle for kebab in that case…"

"Zoro, you wanna take part?" Luffy asked.

"Almonds aren't my thing", the swordsman winced.

"Chopper? Sanji?"

"No thanks, I prefer cotton candy!" the little reindeer answered while the girls, Franky and Brook also declined.

"We're gonna encourage you, Luffy. Don't worry about us", the cook added.

"Okay!"

The young man introduced himself to the organizer and came back a few moments later with a badge and his registration number, grinning from ear to ear.

"There is a sound and light show about the history of the city a little later", Nami, who had taken the program, read. "You interested, Robin?"

"It must be fascinating", the young dark hair woman agreed.

"Look, Brook, they have planned concerts!" Franky showed him.

"Where?!"

The small group strolled in the middle of the various stalls and let themselves being carried away by the festive atmosphere of the city. They walked past a shooting range and Nami got amazed by a magnificent compass. Eyes full of stars, she turned towards her friends.

"Whoever picks me up this compass, I give him a week of watch off!"

Everyone rushed to the stall and the stallholder warmly welcomed them despite the frightening presence of a skeleton among them.

"The lady's right, it's a unique piece that comes in useful to find one's bearings outside Grand Line!"

"We know what it is", the redhead interrupted him, eyes sparkling. "It shines brightly!"

"It's solid gold, little lady!" the man exclaimed. "All you need is one of you hitting the target five times and place three rings around this bottle and it's yours!"

"It's not that easy, the target is crooked", Ussop immediately noticed.

"Come on! Such strong fellows as you won't make me believe this kind of challenge is out of their reach!"

Ussop plunged his hand into his bag, perfectly sure of himself.

"How convenient", he puffed himself up. "I'm the proud Captain Ussop and I stroke down the biggest monsters on Grand Line with my only slingshot! I warn you, your little game will only last a few seconds!"

"Wow! You're so strong, Ussop!" the little reindeer marveled by his side.

"Nami-san! If I win, I don't need you to take my watches, I give them to you!" the cook cried out, spinning around her.

Finally, Chopper, Ussop, Luffy, Sanji, Brook and Franky lined up. Robin had politely declined and Zoro didn't intend to over-exert himself for watches he appreciated. On top, it was up to them to contribute, the navigator not paying in advance. Of course.

Luffy and Chopper didn't even hit the target with their seven cartridges and they were the first ones to be out. The margin of error was tight but Ussop was already on the fourth and Franky on the third.

Moments later, the sniper hit the target for the fifth time without needing the extra two cartridges and he proudly twirled his gun before the stallholder brought him four rings. Franky missed one but eventually managed to qualify for the rings as well. For their part, Brook and Sanji were falling behind and the cook eventually missed the target a third time, eliminating him from the game. On the other hand, Brook qualified by a narrow margin.

"Come on, guys! I need it!" Nami shouted behind them, distracting Ussop who winced.

Determined, Franky managed to win over the first bottle while Ussop missed it.

"It's much harder than shooting", the latter grumbled, reassessing his gesture.

The bottle was surrounded by other gadgets which made it difficult to evaluate perspective and therefore direction to give to his motion. He succeeded his two following shots and Franky missed the next one while Brook made his first attempt. Ussop concentrated to the full. Another ring and long, peaceful nights on the Sunny would be for him! He aimed, threw and… caught the target.

"I won!" he shouted, overjoyed.

"I'm sorry", the stallholder interrupted him. "It's imperative that the ring is completely put around the bottle. So it's lost!"

The gunner stared at him, mouth open, before turning back while grumbling to his friends.

"What a scam!"

"Still you could have made an effort!" the navigator complained. "You were almost there!"

Brook had succeeded his second shot and Franky missed the third and fourth, eliminating him from the game.

Now alone, the skeleton felt the weight of the eyes of his friends on his back.

"Come on, Brook!" Luffy yelled. "It's the honor of the straw hat crew which is at stake!"

"Stop pressuring him, it's super hard this thing", Franky mumbled.

"You're the best, Brook!" the little reindeer exclaimed.

The most senior member of the crew focused at the most before launching the ring that missed his target. Wincing, he took the last ring while his friends were holding their breaths. He relaxed the bones of his hand, smoothly sent it towards his target and reached it. An explosion of joy echoed and Nami rushed into his arms.

"You've always been my favorite!" she said with adoration.

"Yohohohoho! Could you then have the extreme kindness to show me your panties?"

"Not in a million years", she retorted, going away toward her trophy.

The stallholder took down the compass and handed it to the navigator who examined it, her eyes bright.

"I'm sure it's worth a small fortune! I'll sell it as soon as we walk past an exchange bank!"

The man stared at her and felt that he had been fooled. Grunting, he asked the friends to make way for the next players.

After a few minutes, Nami and Robin left the boys to watch the sound and light show. Luffy then decided to settle at one of the many tables in the middle of the square for some snacks.

"But you're going to take part in a food contest in half an hour!" Ussop exclaimed. "You're not gonna eat now!"

"I'm just gonna nibble", his friend reassured him.

By way of nibbling, the captain swallowed two chickens and four sandwiches before Sanji stopped him given the time.

The boys sat on the benches in front of the stage while Luffy took a seat at a table in the company of the other eaters. All of them were huge and the straw hat boy was really pale in comparison at their side. Zoro heard several people openly wondering how this skinny boy was hoping to win anything and he smiled confidently. He loved when people underestimated them.

The straw hat crew was indeed not in the least worried, sure of the captain's victory. So when the latter triumphantly raised his arms in the air thirty minutes later, they just saluted him soberly.

The captain then came down from the stage, carrying his cup of the best eater of almonds of the year under the cheers of the madding crowd.

"How many kilos of almonds you ate?" Franky asked him a little later.

"I dunno. I ate all the plates there were, at least. They were roasted, it was so good!"

"Almond contains a low dose of cyanide", Chopper suddenly worried.

"It would need to have eaten about twenty kilos for it to be toxic", the cook pointed out, lighting a cigarette. "He ate a lot but not that much."

"Yes, you're right."

* * *

The rest of the evening took place peacefully. They went for a walk among the stallholders of the square before sitting at a large table facing the musicians who saturated the air with their electric guitars, to the delight of Brook. The girls met them shortly after and everyone sat down in front of a plate, the captain not being outdone despite his competition.

"Luffy, why are you calling everyone "grandpa"?" Ussop inquired after hearing him ask a steak to "food grandpa.

"Well, 'cause they're old!" his friend explained.

"People aren't all old. They're older than you but that doesn't mean they're gonna die soon!"

"He's right", Nami chimed in. "It can be hurtful to be called old when you're just thirty."

"Food grandpa is old", Luffy kept on, swallowing his steak in two bites.

Zoro lost interest in this discussion and fixed his gaze on the blond's. He was finding that time passes very slowly for almost an hour. The night was progressing and no one was showing signs of fatigue, to his greatest despair. Sanji intercepted his look before stifling his laughter. He knew what he was thinking and wasn't far from sharing his opinion but at the same time, the evening was pleasant and they had little opportunity to mingle so quietly at a festive event.

The cook got up a few minutes later and offered to bring back some desserts. Everyone placed an order and he headed for a street vendor. As he was about to turn about, his arms full with sweets, he bumped into the swordsman's figure a little further. He was watching Ussop and Franky insert coins into slot machines, begging the Grand Line gods to get as many berrys as possible.

"So, Marimo-kun, how you holding up?" he said while coming closer, a smile on his face.

"You have no idea what I'm gonna do to you when we get back", the fencer simply answered, looking him straight in the eyes.

The blond felt a shiver go up along his spine and he tried to tear loose from the magnetic eyes in front of him.

"Don't worry. It won't be long now."

If only he had known.

* * *

Back at their table, Sanji gave out desserts and everyone enjoyed their delicacies. To celebrate the moment, Brook improvised a song the crew sang together before Luffy dragged his friends into a high-energy dance.

After the atmosphere became quieter, conversations resumed amid laughter and the still large crowd around them. Under the table, the cook suddenly put his hand on the swordsman's thigh who had come to sit beside him on his return. The man instantly tightened on the blond's contact but forced himself not to look at him, fearing of drawing attention to them. Perfectly aware of his dilemma, Sanji took the opportunity to let his hand go up innocently and he was beginning to really enjoy himself when the fencer stopped him with his own hand a few centimeters from the fateful place. The blond accepted his decision, got back his hand and refocused on the discussion.

Not for long.

Zoro leaned over the table to grab a bottle and, on the way, deliberately left his hand lying on Sanji's crotch who choked on his chocolate waffle. Not far from him, Franky glanced in his direction, intrigued, but the cook pretended it never happened and the cyborg didn't linger. For his part, Zoro smiled with satisfaction and met a second later the eyes of his lover who told him that his own patience was unraveling.

* * *

Finally, the girls gave the departure signal. Sanji could hardly believe it anymore and his love for them became twice as strong. Despite the good mood, the gestures had become slower and they took about twenty minutes to return to the boat. The cook had immediately regained his vigor but he prevented himself from showing it by smoking multiples cigarettes on the way. He glanced at the swordsman who was walking beside his captain, looking relaxed.

Arrived at the Sunny, Robin went to get a book from the library while Nami was following her to continue their discussion. Luffy then noticed a huge moth and ran after him in a wild race, Chopper on his heels.

Sanji stared at his friends, on the verge of implosion. Why weren't they going to bed, dammit?! Zoro seemed to be in the same state as him but he wanted to lead by example by settling at the foot of the mast. The cook winced. The swordsman was able to really fall asleep and it was off the table that he would go to bed in his condition.

To keep him busy, he took Luffy's cup and found it a place in the kitchen. Finally, Franky offered to take the first watch in the crow's nest a few moments later and Brook and Ussop went to their bunks. Chopper joined them shortly afterwards as Nami and Robin walked toward their room while continuing to talk.

No longer able to wait, Sanji lightly kicked the swordsman who jumped on his legs, obviously far from falling asleep. He caught the cook by the waist and released him just as suddenly when Luffy barged on the deck, his moth in his hands.

"You're not coming to bed?" he asked, coming up to them.

"Of course, we do. I'm exhausted", the cook answered with a forced smile.

"Me too!" the captain agreed. "I'll put the moth in a jar and I'm gonna sleep like a log!"

Luffy hadn't yet turned at the corner of the boat that Zoro was pulling the blond back towards the ship's aquarium.

* * *

"Fuck, I thought they'd never go to bed!" the blond moaned as the swordsman slammed him violently into the door to the aquarium.

"It was you who wanted to wait", the swordsman whispered in his neck. "With your bullshit and theirs, we almost did it all night…"

"Let me open that door, we're gonna be spotted", Sanji grunted, groping behind him.

"I won't wait another minute, figure it out."

"Instead of talking, kiss me then", the cook demanded.

Zoro grumbled. He didn't like anyone giving him orders so he bit his shipmate's neck just hard enough for him to struggle a little. Sanji felt the handle finally turning in his hand and they stumbled around the room, not wanting to let the other go for a second. The fencer closed the door with a kick and got out from his prey a moment to put his swords down on the ground.

The blond took the opportunity to fall on the red arm-chairs laid-out around the room while trying to catch his breath but Zoro met him in a flash, crushing him under his weight and kissing him more.

The cook answered with the same eagerness to his stroking. He had fun until tonight to make the swordsman work for it but the game had backfired and he had found himself in the same state as the hours had progressed.

He suddenly felt Zoro's hand plunged into his pants and his hips accompanied his movement without even ordering it. His fingers went up under the fencer's tee-shirt and sank into his back as he arched. The swordsman took the opportunity to get rid of his shirt and Sanji took off his tee-shirt over his head, their skins finally meeting. Their caresses became twice as intense and impatient, the fencer's hand getting through the last garment feverishly and those of the cook clinging a little more on to him, already drowned under sensations.

"It's your turn, marimo", the blond suddenly whispered, slipping his fingers under his underpants.

The swordsman tensed up and firmly grabbed his hand.

"Not today", he grumbled, emphasizing his stroking on his partner's member.

"Why?" the blond sighed, enjoying his delicious movements.

"I don't want to but I can do something else to make it up for you."

"Oh? What is-"

The end of the sentence died on his lips when he felt the fencer's tongue going back up along his penis. He gasped and barely felt his lover get rid of his boxer he had got down.

"Is that okay with you?" Zoro asked him with a smirk.

"I'll let it go this time but… we'll talk about it", the cook promised him, closing his eyes.

The swordsman chuckled and flicked his tongue around the blond's manhood as his breathing was quickening and his sighs were growing.

The fencer was determined to make him forget even his name tonight.

* * *

 _Thanks for reading, hope you had fun just like me when I wrote it!_

 _In the next chapter, it's Luffy and Nami's turn. I didn't forget them but I needed to firmly settle down my main couple :)_


	9. You should talk to

**Chapter 9**

 **You should talk to…**

"Zoro, are you having a stomach ache?"

The swordsman sleepily looked up at his captain who was waiting for his answer, leaning over his face at a few centimeters. He straightened his back, grumbling. He could forget his nap at the foot of the mast now.

"No", he replied without trying to understand the incongruity of the question.

"It's weird. My stomach hurts sometimes", the dark-haired young man continued.

"You're hungry, Luffy", the fencer assured him, ready to go back to sleep.

"Yeah. But it's not that."

"How do you know?"

"It's not the same."

"Okay. You may have caught a cold", the swordsman suggested without conviction.

"You think? It's true I've never been sick so maybe you're right!" Luffy exclaimed, delighted to go off to explore this new adventure even though it was an illness.

"Don't know", his first mate said, shrugging his shoulders. "If you just have a stomach ache, it should pass…"

"No, I have other symptoms!" his captain cried out, overjoyed.

"Oh?" Zoro wondered.

"My hands are wet, my breathing speeds up on his own… I feel like I'm gonna plunge into a gigantic fight even if there isn't any, can you imagine?!"

Luffy was now laughing out loud and the swordsman straightened up, definitely worried.

"It's not normal, Luffy, you should talk to Chopper."

"You think?" he asked, surprised by his seriousness. "I don't feel that bad, it's funny!"

"We never know with all the crap we can get on Grand Line. Remember when Nami got sick after Little Garden, she almost died."

"Okay, I'll go see Chopper!" he promised with a big smile.

* * *

The straw hat boy held his promise and gladly made his way to the sick bay a few moments later.

"What can I do for you, Luffy?" the little reindeer asked when he saw him pushing the door.

"Chopper, I'm sick!" he declared with a grin from ear to ear.

The doctor jumped out of his chair, panicked, and started running in every direction. Luffy was never sick, he had to see a doctor! Oh yes, he was the doctor here…

"What symptoms do you have?" he asked, rushing by his side to listen to his chest.

"Well… I have a stomach ache. Hands get slippery. My breathing is going faster."

"Since when?"

"A few weeks", the captain remembered.

"A few weeks?! Why didn't you tell me earlier?!"

The reindeer moved frantically and rummaged in a drawer to pull out his stethoscope.

"I will listen to your heart first."

"Okay."

There was silence a few moments while the doctor was studying his patient from head to toe.

"Everything looks fine", he said afterwards with relief. "Do you have a fever? A headache?"

"No."

"I'm going to draw some blood to be sure."

The captain nodded and let himself being stung before leaving so that Chopper could study his sample.

* * *

In the middle of the afternoon, the little reindeer called out to his captain as he was walking past the infirmary and let him into the room. Luffy had already forgotten why Chopper wanted to talk to him and he stared at him curiously.

"I studied your blood sample earlier and everything is normal", the doctor told him.

"Ah yes! Oh… I'm not sick then?" Luffy asked, almost disappointed.

"No but your symptoms are strange. Is this the first time you feel that?" the doctor questioned.

"Yeah! I told Zoro it's like before a fight! I feel weird and sometimes it makes me a thing, there. Still, I'm not hungry more than usual!"

He pointed at his stomach to Chopper who consciously took notes.

"Luffy, does this sensation happen in special moments?"

"No, it can be anywhere", the captain thought.

"Did you eat something different?"

"Different?"

"Yes, compared with the usual."

"I'm not sure…"

"You only ate Sanji's food?"

"Yes!" the straw hat boy proudly announced. "I wanted to eat this big fish-ball we caught yesterday but Ussop told me it was toxic so I dropped it!"

Chopper sighed with relief when hearing this news and he resumed his questionnaire.

"No itching? Swelling of the skin?"

"No."

The doctor sighed before tapping his pencil on his sheet of paper, thoughtful.

"Have you noticed an element, something common at the times you feel these symptoms?"

The future Pirate King concentrated to his full potential. Chopper looked upset for not finding the cause of his illness so he had to help him.

"I think there's almost always Nami", he finally said.

The reindeer dropped his pen and his jaw hit the ground.

"Are you okay, Chopper? I don't think she's trying to poison me, you know", the captain reasoned.

"No, no… N-no problem, Luffy. I think I found what's happening to you!" he triumphantly cried out afterwards.

"Wow! You're the best, Chopper!" Luffy admiringly exclaimed.

"Shut up! I don't need you to tell me things like this, it doesn't affect me at all!"

The young straw hat man burst out laughing. Really, his friends were so funny!

"You're in love, Luffy", the reindeer solemnly added.

"In love?" the captain repeated, puzzled. "This is a serious illness?"

"It's not exactly an illness. Sometimes, you have certain symptoms but everything is variable from one person to another…"

"How long will it last?"

"Like I said, it depends on the person and-"

"It's super cool! I'm finally sick!" Luffy shouted, beaming.

Chopper bit his lip. His captain didn't seem to understand what his diagnosis implied.

"I know it's not easy for you but you should talk to…"

But Luffy had already escaped from the infirmary, laughing, and Chopper sat down, shaking his head. He really was in a crazy crew…

* * *

"So, Luffy, did you see Chopper?" Zoro asked, moving forward to his captain who had sat down at his favorite post on the figurehead a little later.

"Yeah! You were right, I'm sick!" he told him with a huge smile.

"Oh? It's serious?" his second inquired, frowning.

"He said it depends on the people."

"And he's gonna cure you?"

"He didn't talk about that", Luffy shrugged.

"How's that, there's no cure?" Zoro worried.

"Don't know", he said as if he had never thought of that possibility.

"Fuck, what's this disease?!"

"The disease of the lover! It's cool, huh?"

The swordsman stared for a moment at his captain without understanding or rather, being afraid to understand.

"Luffy… You're in love?" he asked cautiously.

"That's what Chopper said."

"And… who is it?" he inquired, more and more astonished.

"What you mean?" the young dark-haired man said.

"Well, if you're in love, it's about a person, right?"

"Dunno. Chopper didn't tell me."

Zoro observed his captain attentively. Of course, he hadn't understood anything about the diagnosis of the little reindeer. The fencer could have done as if he had heard nothing but curiosity was too strong. Besides, someone had to explain to him…

"With Chopper, did you mention someone else?"

"Yes, he asked me to think of something common when I had my symptoms."

"And?"

Zoro was really curious to get to the bottom of this story.

"I told him there was almost always Nami and that's when he found my illness. He's too strong!" he exclaimed, hitting his feet together.

The swordsman stepped back, seized with horror. Nami? This… witch? She was gonna wrap him around her little finger and pressurize him to the last berry! He only needs to look at how she behaved with their cook whenever she needed something. Poor Luffy…

"Luffy, do you know what it's like to be in love?" his first mate asked, now feeling pity.

"Well, it's when you have a stomach ache and you wanna fight! Even though I don't get the point with Nami…"

"Yeah…"

"Say, Zoro, you think that's gonna pass? It's not very annoying but it's weird and Chopper said it depends on the people."

There, the swordsman was very embarrassed. The straw hat boy was staring at him with his big innocent eyes and he had no idea what to say to him. This kind of conversation was far too strange to have with his captain.

"You should talk to Sanji, he's the love specialist", he suggested.

"Of course! Awesome!"

Zoro watched Luffy jump up and down at the prospect of having an answer and he walked away, a smile on his face. Not only had he got rid of a thorny issue but in addition, the cook would faint when hearing what the captain was gonna tell him. Oh, he couldn't wait to see his face…

* * *

Busy to clean the sink after the evening meal, Sanji suddenly heard the door creak on his back.

"No, Luffy. You'll have to wait until tomorrow morning."

He didn't even have to turn around to know that it was once again his captain who came begging for a snack.

"But, please, I'm really hungry!"

Sanji wrung his sponge and turned slowly, disillusioned.

"You're always hungry, Luffy."

"It's true but it's worse now! Besides, I've got to ask you somethin'!" he begged.

"What's this new scam?" the cook sighed as he put down his kitchen towel while Luffy was sitting down at the table.

"Zoro told me you could explain to me if I'll continue to have the disease of the lover for a long time. He said you were a specialist!"

The blond's eyes widened in bewilderment. Too much information. Not enough information. He took a chair and made himself comfortable in front of Luffy, giving him an apple on the way that his glutton captain swallowed whole.

"Explain. What's this disease of the lover?"

"Chopper told me. Zoro told me to go see him cos I felt weird and I wanted to be sick. And Chopper said I had the disease of the lover but he doesn't know if I'll keep it for a long time and Zoro told me to ask you cos you're a love specialist", he uttered in one gulp while looking around for other snacks.

"Wait, wait, wait", Sanji interrupted him. "You think you're sick 'cause you're in love?"

"Yeah!"

"And Zoro said I was a love specialist?"

"Yeah! You are, ain't you?" Luffy asked hopefully.

"Well…"

The cook was beginning to suspect that the swordsman had sent Luffy with an agenda but he would take care of it later. The point as important as unexpected was that their captain seemed to have succumbed to the charm of love and it really made him happy.

"First of all, Luffy, you must know something extremely important", he said in a deep voice.

"What?"

His captain leaned toward him above the table and stared at him with all the concentration he could muster. Sanji appreciated his serious attitude towards him and looked into his eyes.

"Being in love is not a disease, it's the most beautiful emotion you can ever experience."

"Really?"

"Absolutely!" the blond got excited. "When you're in love, everything becomes bright and magical! The sky is bluer, the sun is brighter, the scent of flowers is intoxicating, the beloved is beautiful, solar, it's a d-"

"The beloved?"

Luffy scratched his head, totally lost, and Sanji suppressed his desire to kick him. After all, Luffy was new on the subject and he had to choose simple words.

"Let me explain things to you more concretely", he suggested and his captain nodded. "Tell me, who are you in love with?"

"Apparently, it has something to do with Nami", he said after a moment's reflection, thinking back to his conversation with Chopper then Zoro. "But I don't understand why it'd be her fault…"

"Ah, Nami-san, what a delightful choice!" the cook exclaimed, blissful. "But be careful, it's not her fault! That's the way it is, it's fate! I understand, my dear Luffy, Nami is an exceptional living being…"

"I dunno why but it's true that when I think about it, sometimes when I look at her and she doesn't yell, I have a stomach ache and it makes me feel funny in my body! You understand something, you?!"

"It's love", Sanji said, smiling.

"Love?" the straw hat boy repeated as if the word had no meaning.

"Yes", his cook kept on. "What you feel are the classic symptoms of love. You experience unique sensations when you're looking at her because Nami-san is a special person in your eyes."

As Luffy was frowning, Sanji decided to explain a little more.

"Tell me, do you wanna spend more time with her?"

"Well, it depends. When she yells, I-"

"Wanna please her?"

"Of course!"

"Wanna protect her if there's a problem?"

"Obviously!"

"Wanna her to like you?"

Luffy paused. The question seemed more difficult to him than the previous ones.

"I think so…"

"And that's new, isn't it?"

A big smile lighted up his captain's face.

"It's true, it's special to Nami! You really are a great specialist, Sanji! You know exactly what the disease of the lover is!"

Furious, the cook kicked him under the table.

"I already told you it wasn't a disease!" he barked.

"Ouch! Sorry…"

"Now the key issue: have you told her?"

"To whom?" the dark haired boy asked, painfully massaging the leg that had taken a blow.

"Make an effort, Luffy!" the blond man got angry. To Nami-san, of course!"

"Oh no, I didn't think about it. I have to talk to her?"

"It's up to you. If you want her to like you and to see you differently, I recommend thinking about a specific plan to you 'cause it's a long shot…"

"A plan? Gee, this looks like some serious stuff!" the captain wondered.

"Well, I think that's enough for tonight", Sanji sighed. "Think about what you wanna do and we'll see, okay?"

"Okay! But, uh, Sanji… Can I have a small snack, please?"

Luffy's smile was so bright the cook gave in and threw him another apple. Although disappointed that it wasn't meat, the straw hat boy caught it in the air before going out like a tornado from the kitchen.

The cook sighed and put away his dish towel after wiping his hands. He took a cigarette out of his packet and lit it as soon as he was outside. If it was still necessary, he had the proof that despite his full adoration for the women of the crew, he felt nothing for them that could be similar to love in the proper sense of the word. What he wanted was their happiness and their safety, nothing else. Women were divine creations that he couldn't help but worship and admire anyway.

He had many more questions about being attracted to a man. Had he changed? Moved on? Was it temporary or definitive? What did it mean about his deep personality? Had he always deluded himself? Had he overinvested women to try to ignore an unconscious attraction?

Sanji sighed and put the cigarette to his lips as he was heading for the deck. He loved his little games with the swordsman but despite his decision that he didn't regret, he couldn't ignore the thousands questions that came with it.

* * *

The cook took advantage of the night air while blowing the smoke that flew rapidly around him. A little farther on, he saw Zoro come closer at a leisurely pace, his huge dumbbells in his hand.

"By the way, cook, you saw the captain?" the fencer asked him nonchalantly as he walked past him.

"Yeah."

"So?"

The swordsman put the weightlifting at his feet and Sanji shrugged.

"So I explained the basics to him."

Zoro shook his head, straightening up.

"You sure he understood somethin' cos it didn't seem so easy for him…"

"Don't make fun of his feelings", the blond grumbled.

The fencer suddenly smiled.

"I'm not making fun of him. It's just that, poor guy… Nami!"

"I forbid you to say anything about our navigator!" the cook threatened him, pulling the butt out of the corner of his mouth, looking furious.

Zoro suppressed a mocking laugh.

"About that, I was wondering… You fought for her pretty eyes?"

"What?"

The cook stared at him blankly before thinking back to Luffy's statement when the swordsman had sent him for advice. The perverse machination of his lover became clear in his mind.

"Wait, you really thought I was gonna fight with Luffy cos he's in love with Nami?" he said indignantly.

"Why not. It'd have keep things interesting", the fencer retorted appreciatively.

"You are a despicable person…"

"You could have challenged yourselves to a duel or somethin' pushover like that", he continued with amusement.

"You're too stupid, marimo", the cook finally sighed while breathing in on his butt again.

"Is that so? Don't tell me you didn't think about punching him in the face when he told you, huh?"

"No."

Zoro looked at him arrogantly, his smirk at the corner of his mouth.

"Maybe I'm stupid but you're damn pretentious to believe Luffy has no chance. If you want my opinion, he's more likely to get her than you, by the way."

"Because you think your opinion matters to me, stupid musclehead?" the blond ground.

"That's right, the Pirate King will be rich, not like a pathetic cook in the depths of All Blue!" the swordsman sniggered.

Sanji clenched his fists.

"Dammit, you really are a shitty bastard!"

"Yeah, don't thank me for opening your eyes", the fencer concluded as he was walking away cheerfully, his weightlifting back in hand.

The cook watched him disappear into the crow's nest and then allowed himself to relax. Zoro had everything wrong but it was convenient. He didn't want to disabuse him about his feelings for Nami since he would always be ready to defend her anyway. In addition, it allowed him to be angry with him and to get out of this kind of attachment he was developing towards the swordsman lately.

He knew it wasn't something too strong but the fact that they were sharing such intimacy, even devoid of feeling, wove all the same powerful and complex links he didn't yet untangle all the consequences.

Fortunately, he could count on the swordsman's stupidity and with any luck, his idiotic behavior would vaccinate him against himself…

Satisfied with the turn of events, Sanji finished smoking his cigarette with pleasure before beginning his watch.

* * *

 _Hope you liked it!_

 _The idea of Luffy having a stomach ache because he doesn't know what's to be in love is, is from Typone Lady, a French fanfic author. I'm her beta and it got me inspired in one of her chapter. I think that's a powerful metaphor!_


	10. Sea, (no) sex and sun

_Thanks to Guest for your review.  
Enjoy your reading._

 _Answer to anonymous reviews:_

 _Guest_ _: I love them too and we'll see them again but not right now :)_

* * *

 **Chapter 10**

 **Sea, (no) sex and sun**

The Thousand Sunny was speeding along the sea. The days followed one another more or less peacefully according to everybody's moods and the adventures inherent in Grand Line and as every night, sundown made progressively diminish the electrifying atmosphere.

Taking advantage of this relative calm, Zoro turned up abruptly in the kitchen occupied by the master of the place leaning over the sink. Without a word, he immediately squeezed up against his back, already putting one of his hands under his shirt while the other unfastened his belt but the blond pushed him back with a shoulder shake.

"Not tonight", he mumbled, rinsing his dishes.

"Why?" the other man grumbled as he was continuing the same.

"I'm not in the mood."

Sanji didn't want to confess that his muscles contracted painfully with each of his motions. Their little game of the day before had been more violent than usual and stiffness hadn't been long to come. The cook was tough but he felt he was reaching his limits between lack of sleep, fights and restless nights for several weeks.

"Don't believe you", Zoro carried on, now placing small kisses on his neck, making him shudder.

Sanji felt himself weaken but he tried to stay upright and he finished rinsing his plate.

"Stop, the others are next door."

"Can't. Need it."

The swordsman had switched to monosyllabic mode, passing his excitement on to the blond who hesitated for a second before shaking himself off. In addition to his body on the brink of collapse, he absolutely wanted to show a little more resistance when the fencer was propositioning him. He was the one who was protesting the most but he was well aware this was his way of regaining some control over the situation, of trying to convince himself that what he was accepting wasn't as incredible as it seemed. As if he wasn't totally addicted to their new hobby.

Soon, Zoro would just have to snap his fingers and he would only ask himself the question of rushing right this minute or right this second. Okay, he might exaggerate a little but anyway, he wanted to prove to the swordsman he could oppose him and his resolution was intensifying tonight.

Besides, it was simply out of the question to admit he was exhausted. He could only imagine the dazzling smile of the swordsman that would remain etched in his memory…

However, Zoro wasn't letting go of him and he had to find a way to calm him down so that the refusal wouldn't come from him.

"I thought about something, marimo", he said in a matter-of-factly voice, finally turning off the water.

"Hm?"

Sanji turned to him and the swordsman took the opportunity to kiss him but he pulled away gently.

"Something… important."

"What?" the other sighed reluctantly.

"I was thinking we could experiment a little. You know… doing new things."

His tone was just evasive enough to draw the attention and the curiosity of the swordsman who immediately pricked up his ears with interest.

"No shit? You're unbelievable, cook", Zoro noticed with a smile. "To think that until a short time ago, you didn't even know guys were interesting you. In fact, you had a fucking revelation!"

"I'm not sure you'll be excited", Sanji casually dodged. "It's not the kind of thing everybody appreciates. You have to be a bit open-minded, you know?"

With this touch of defiance, the cook was sure to definitely set the hook and he kept from smiling when his lover jumped into it with both feet.

"Spit it out. Anything that increases experience is always good."

"Have you ever done a threesome?"

Zoro frowned, obviously surprised.

"It could be fucking exciting, don't you think? Besides, I can well imagine someone in particular", the blond added with a big smile.

"Who?" he asked cautiously.

"Well, you know…"

Sanji wanted to prolong the suspense and he let the swordsman try to guess.

"I get it", the latter sighed after a few moments of reflection. "That's another one of your plans to bring Nami or Robin in your bed, isn't it?"

"Of course not, moron! As if you were worthy to share things like this with Nami-san or Robin-chan! Well, unless both of them are okay to invite me to join them…"

"Who is it then?" the fencer grumbled, getting impatient.

"Someone you know but it's a bit peculiar", Sanji continued in a tone like he was embarrassed. "We see him from time to time… A man."

"A man?"

The cook savored the anxious expression of his counterpart before seeing him breaking down as he was probably reviewing the members of the crew. Keeping himself from laughing, Sanji decided to deliver him the coup de grace.

"Smoker."

Zoro stepped back, horrified.

"S-Smoker?" he stammered.

"Don't you think he's sexy? He's super muscular and his way of saying "I'll track you down to death" is fucking exciting. Well, sure it won't be easy to convince him but-"

"I don't know if…"

The swordsman had obviously turn pale and Sanji couldn't help but burst out laughing, leaving his crewmate in misunderstanding.

"Really, it was too easy!" the cook articulated between laughs. "You jumped both feet in, marimo!"

Understanding that the blond had made fun of him, Zoro felt himself blushing at the same time as a huge relief.

"What's the idea of making such jokes?" he muttered.

"Oh, damn, you should have seen your face when I talked about Smoker!"

The blond slumped onto the table, shaking with spasms.

"Bastard, you just wait and see", the swordsman threatened him, red with anger now.

"I'm not gonna… get over it…" Sanji gasped, tears in his eyes.

The fencer mumbled something he didn't understand before getting out of the kitchen furiously, leaving the cook shrieking with laughter for long minutes.

* * *

Zoro cracked a bad smile. He had waited patiently for a good week, putting to sleep Sanji's mistrust and giving himself time to find the perfect revenge. He even had afforded the luxury of acting as if he had moved on so that he wouldn't suspect anything.

His plan was Machiavellian. No detail should be left to chance so that the blond falls into the trap. The next island was in sight and the first part of his plan was putting in place. The cook was going to regret having made fun of him.

* * *

"We're not going to stay long on this island but we have to reload the ship and buy some supplies", Nami explained before landing the next day. "I don't want any overflow, the Marine base isn't far away so you'll stick to the rules! We meet here in four hours. Robin will stay to watch the Sunny, she has already come to this island so we won't take the risk. Franky and Ussop, you find Luffy who flew again without waiting for us and you stop him from doing anything. Sanji with Chopper and Brook, you take care of the food and medicine. Zoro, you come with me."

The swordsman nodded gravely, not missing the chef's surprised look at his favorite navigator. This idiot would certainly have wanted to volunteer to carry her shopping bags…

Then everyone left with his group and Zoro followed the young redhead with a sigh. He had dangled a sum of money to recover on the island for the refund of his debt in exchange for a valuable object and of course, Nami had jumped at the chance. Arrived in front of a dark pawn shop, the navigator glanced at him.

"That'd be OK?"

"Huh, yeah."

"You have ten minutes. And above all, you do not move away from here."

With that, she walked to the clothing store opposite, letting the swordsman wince. He entered the shop in case she was watching him and quickly went around. There was only worthless junk in there and everything was covered with dust. An ageless man was sleeping against the counter and he didn't bother to wake him up.

He came out a few minutes later and sat on the steps. He'd better not move because he didn't want to take the risk of getting lost – even if he didn't see how it would be possible – and thus to sabotage his plan. He sighed when he took out all the money he had been able to raise over the past few days playing poker against Chopper and Luffy or doing stupid bets with Ussop, Franky and Brook. He wasn't sure that would do much but in any case, he had never had so much money in his possession and he was going to give it to the witch… He was hoping at least that it would actually be used for lowering his debt.

Moments later, Nami came looking for him and the swordsman handed her the berrys with resignation. However, at the smile she showed, he knew this wasn't that bad and it comforted him a little.

* * *

When they came back on the ship, Zoro was wiped out. They had spent all their time in shopping stores, Nami refusing to leave him alone for too long. He must have stamped, waited, looked at the young woman driving the salesmen crazy and to top it off, she had fobbed all the bags off on him as if he was her servant. This afternoon had been a nightmare and the swordsman hadn't felt so humiliated in a while.

As he thought of finally chucking out the bags at the feet of the navigator, he saw Sanji with his tray, refreshment ready for his princess. As she grabbed it with a smile, she turned towards the swordsman.

"I've rarely had such a good day. We start again as soon as you want, Zoro!"

On that note, she recovered her bags and entered her room, slamming the door behind her. Stunned, the cook turned to the swordsman who was smirking.

"What did she wanna say?" the blond asked, suspicious.

"Nothing. We just spent the afternoon together, that's all", the fencer dodged voluntarily.

"You went shopping with her? And you didn't kill each other?"

"As you can see."

With that, the swordsman turned on his heels, leaving Sanji perfectly incredulous.

Phase 1 complete.

* * *

"Nami, I need you to keep my swords for a few hours", Zoro said two days later as they were sailing again.

"What? Why?" the navigator wondered.

"I bought a new cleaning oil for them. They shouldn't be exposed to the sun or touched and if I leave them here, you know how the others will behave."

"Yeah, alright. Put them in my room."

The swordsman walked towards the girls' quarter with good cheer. This little game was costing him some efforts but Sanji's interrogative glances at him since his mysterious afternoon shopping with Nami were priceless. He had even used to be too tired as an excuse for their little evening game the day before and the cook had of course stare at him for a long time before leaving.

Once in the room, he put two of his swords on the floor on the side of the navigator's bed. This way, one would think they had fallen casually. It was perfect. He nevertheless kept the Wadô as a precaution. He didn't want it to appear too suspicious and above all, they weren't safe from a surprise attack.

Coming out of the room again, he settled quietly against the mast for a little well-deserved nap.

* * *

The sun was high and the heat was gradually rising over the afternoon. After the meal, Chopper had taken refuge in the infirmary and the girls had left their chairs, Robin to go to the library and Nami to study some illustrations of islands in her room. Luffy, Brook, Franky and Ussop were alternating games of cards with fishing parties while the swordsman had decided to move his training during the cooler hours of the evening and was taking advantage of an umpteenth nap.

Sanji arrived a little later with drinks for everyone and began his distribution by the girls. He brought a drink to Robin before going by the navigator's room. He knocked and the red-haired woman shouted at him to enter. As he stepped into the room, he suddenly noticed glittering reflections and discovered with astonishment two of Zoro's swords not far from the navigator's bed.

"Ah, it's you, Sanji-kun."

"I bring you refreshment, Nami-san!"

"Thank you."

"It's… These are Zoro's swords?" he asked, pointing out the swords with his chin.

"Hm? Yes, he must have forgotten them since this morning. If he didn't spend his time sleeping…"

Sanji opened and closed his mouth but the navigator didn't notice his confusion and went back to her maps.

As the cook was returning to the deck to fling the rest of the drinks to the boys, the swordsman opened an eye. When the blond walked past him again a few minutes later in a hurry and with a concerned look to recover his glasses, he smiled imperceptibly.

Phase 2 engaged.

* * *

"I'm bored!" Luffy whined. "And I'm hot!"

Tongue hanging out, the captain was trying to get some air with his straw hat, in vain. The sun was now overwhelming and the whole crew was suffering. Sanji had already made several rounds of drinks and was now resting beside his companions in the shade of the deck. He had even taken off his jacket, his tie and rolled up the sleeves of his shirt.

Nami and Robin had slipped their swimsuits on and while the archaeologist was reading in the shade of a large sunshade, the navigator had spread a towel on the grass of the deck and was drawing, her back to the sea. Of course, the cook had made a point to rave about their bare skins and Nami had pushed him back with annoyance as he was preventing her from working.

Suddenly, strident cries were heard in the distance in the sky and Robin raised her head.

"Look, monkey-birds!" Luffy exclaimed, totally excited.

"Monkey what?" Ussop inquired at his side.

"I don't think they're real birds", the archaeologist said, frowning.

"Hey, they're headed our way!" Chopper noticed.

"What the fuck are they doing?" Sanji wondered.

The strange winged creatures were charging at the crew who lay on the ground to avoid them.

"What are these things? They're nuts", Zoro mumbled against the mast.

"Get down!" Robin ordered. "They are monkeys of the airs, they attack in gangs to steal food and they're attracted by shining objects."

"Like thieving magpies!" Brook stated as he flattened himself to the ground.

"Ha! That's my stuff!"

Everyone turned towards the navigator whose eyes were on fire.

"Those bastards of birds pinched my Clima-Tact, I'm gonna kill them!"

As Luffy burst out laughing, Ussop shook his head with a vexed look.

"It's all the attention you pay for what I've gave you, way to go!"

"Instead of telling bullshit, get rid of these bugs!" the young woman yelled, raging mad.

"Okay, okay, don't get upset."

Ussop adjusted his slingshot and aimed at one of the strange little monkey-like birds with wings that dodged the projectile.

"They're fast, these flying monkeys!" he winced.

"Be careful, they're coming back!" the skeleton cried out.

Everyone flattened himself against the ground again, this time not forgetting to protect their personal belongings. The gunner readjusted his weapon and hit the monkey of the airs that held the Clima-Tact, letting it fall into the ocean.

"I'll go!" the cook offered before diving into the sea.

"There's more!" the navigator shouted again.

"It's coming!" Ussop squeaked, trying to focus.

Franky positioned himself to help him and they needed three more shots punctuated by two more attacks for the monkeys of the airs to stop their invasion.

In fact, they had simply decided to get around the problem and the crew was alerted by Chopper's cries at the back of the ship who was warning them that the monkeys of the airs were now attacking the tangerine trees. All rushed there with the exception of Zoro who had fallen asleep again against the mast, judging this attack too weak to deserve his attention.

Horrified at the thought of losing her precious fruits, the navigator also jumped up but her swimsuit top held by two strings crossed behind her back came loose, stopping her abruptly. Sticking her arms on her chest while the others had already made off, she tried to tie them together, grumbling.

"Nami-san, I found your weapon!" Sanji cried out, hearts in his eyes as he was climbing onto the deck.

Then he saw the bare back of the navigator who couldn't tie the strings of her top.

"What an absolutely splendid body! Let me help you, navigator of my heart!"

"Hands off, you pervert!" Nami stopped him, turning around all at once. "I don't trust you!"

"But I assure you, Nami-san, I'm-"

"Zoro, come here!"

The swordsman opened an eye, sullen. The cries of the young woman then the dripping comments of the cook were getting on his nerves and prevented him from sleeping. What did she want with him now?

"Help me tie this up!"

The fencer was going to tell her he was neither her dog nor her servant when he saw Sanji's stupefied eyes beside the redhead. Deciding to use this boost of the fate, he rose quietly and began to attach the top of the navigator's swimsuit, a smile on his lips. He then took back his seat while the others were coming back to them, the cook having still not said a word.

"How are my tangerines?" Nami immediately asked with concern.

"No problem, we protected them!" Ussop proudly replied.

"It was great, I got one!" Luffy yelled, waving him under her nose. "You have to cook it, Sanji!"

The young man finally came out of his lethargy and frowned.

"I'm not sure we can eat this thing."

"Oh?"

"Besides, he's still alive", the gunner winced.

"You should release him", Chopper said. "He's afraid."

"We could make it a pet", Franky offered.

"Awesome, I'll teach him to talk!" the captain exclaimed, delighted.

"Get that thing away from me", the navigator grumbled. "We have seen it enough."

"I'm going to make a song to celebrate this victory!" Brook concluded under the cheers of his friends.

The archaeologist took back her seat on her deckchair in silence while Nami was grabbing her maps, wanting to forget these ugly beasts. As for the swordsman, he fell asleep again quickly, not without having thought with satisfaction that his vengeance was going on better than expected.

* * *

During dinner, Luffy tried to make his monkey of the airs talk and he had tied his paw with a long rope attached to his chair. The animal was remaining reluctant and bit him as often as possible but the captain wasn't disarming. He even tried to coax him with pieces of food the monkey rejected.

"It's not a parrot, Luffy", Ussop pointed out.

"It just takes a little practice", his friend retorted. "It'll come!"

"Hey! He steals my cola, that bastard!" the cyborg suddenly fumed, getting up brutally. "Come back here!"

The engineer chased the flying monkey and finally pinned it to the ground, pushing everything in his path.

"Gotcha!" he said, snatching his bottle out with satisfaction.

"He says you're suffocating him, Franky", the reindeer noticed with concern.

"It's true that he doesn't move anymore!" Brook panicked.

"It's okay", the doctor showed him as the monkey was getting up. "But you have to be careful, Luffy. As he is afraid, he is aggressive. I tried to talk to him but he won't listen…"

"Aren't you tired of this bug?" Nami sighed.

"No, he's a perfect pet!" the captain insisted.

Zoro and Robin continued to eat in silence, as if impervious to shouting and vociferating. For his part, the cook was also remaining mute, but for other reasons. He even absent-mindedly gave a second helping to Luffy who hadn't asked him yet, to his delight.

He then cleared the table after his companions had left and finally decided to go looking for answers.

* * *

He found the wanted person leaning on the ship's rail and headed straight for her, his cigarette in the corner of his mouth.

"Okay, marimo. Tell me what you did to Nami."

Zoro hid his smile and gave him his most arrogant look. This was it. He hadn't imagined Sanji would crack up this fast but that was really good for him.

"I don't know what you're talking about", he answered quietly as his smile contradicted him.

"Don't screw around with me now! The two of you had been weird for a few days!"

"You're imagining things…"

"Is there… Is there something going on between you two?"

Zoro savored the worried look the cook was giving him. Yes, all these hours of hard work were well rewarded.

"Maybe, so what? It's none of your business. We don't have an exclusive arrangement you and me."

The blond stared at him, dismayed.

"But… How?"

"You want me to paint you a whole picture?" the fencer asked him with mischief.

"Shut the fuck up!"

The cook bit his lips. He couldn't imagine his precious navigator in the arms of this rude guy. Maybe he wasn't in love with her but one thing was certain, she couldn't be content with an evil henchman like Zoro. She deserved so much better…

"I don't understand… Nami-san is so delicate! And you, you're so… boorish!"

"Nami-san is a big girl, she does what she wants", the swordsman mimicked him. "And it turns out she appreciates men who don't grovel at her feet."

Zoro smiled contentedly. It was too easy to make the cook mad with jealousy and despair when it came to the navigator. It was now time to move on to the last phase of his plan.

"By the way, I told her about your threesome frenzy", he said as if nothing had happened.

"You did what?!" the blond choked.

"Yeah, I know you'd love it."

"But you're crazy! I was joking!"

"Yeah, well, anyway, she told me it wasn't even worth thinking about it."

It was cruel but to make him hope for something like that when he would know the truth was just as much, if not more so. Besides, Sanji let himself slide down against the ship's rail to the ground, mortified.

"Nami…"

After the stupor, yet he straightened up angrily and the swordsman thought he was going to lecture him.

"You realize what you're doing to Luffy?! You know his feelings for her!"

"Stop buggin' me. Luffy doesn't care, I've talked to him", he made up straightaway.

"Of course, he agreed! Luffy doesn't understand anything about things like that, he has no idea what you're doing! You really are a monster, Zoro!"

Now it was going a bit too far and the swordsman sighed. He would have liked to enjoy it a little more but it was time to put an end to this.

"All right, relax. I didn't tell Nami anything."

"What?"

"I wanted revenge because of your lame joke with Smoker."

"You mean you seduced Nami just to get your revenge?!"

Zoro looked at him seriously. If he explained to him the full extent of his vengeance, it wasn't funny anymore but his speechless look made him talk.

"No, nothing happened between her and me, I just managed for you to believe it."

There was silence for a moment before the cook angrily threw his cigarette on the floor, furious.

"You really are a fucking first class shitty bastard, marimo!"

Zoro smiled. The cook had understood.

"You're the one who started it, darts eyebrow."

"My joke lasted three minutes! Yours was on for several days and you damn had to dig into your marimo head to put it in place!"

"Yeah. It pissed me off but it was worth it."

Sanji fidgeted before taking a new cigarette in his pack and sighing.

"Well, I guess we're even now."

The swordsman nodded and watched the calm sea.

"Yeah, no more threesome."

"No more threesome", the cook repeated, shaking his head.

* * *

 _The title is a reference about a French song from Serge Gainsbourg._

 _I enjoyed writing this chapter, I hope you liked it too!_

 _Next one will be less funny, arguments about their new relationship will appear_ …


	11. Facing reality

_Thanks for your alerts/favorites._

 _Enjoy your reading._

* * *

 **Chapter 11**

 **Facing reality**

A few days later at nightfall, Zoro watched the light shine behind the porthole of the Sunny's kitchen. He went and opened the door with confidence.

"So now, you make me wai-"

The swordsman swallowed his provocative smile as he fell on a figure he didn't expect. Robin was reading her book at the kitchen table, using a third arm to drink her cup of coffee. She didn't look up from her book and Zoro took a second to find an excuse for his late presence.

"I come to get a bottle."

One second too long.

"The chef went to the observation room. I think he was looking for you too."

The swordsman felt his jaw contract. He was suspicious of her and even though her presence among the crew was beyond any doubt, this woman was too weird in her way to guess everything she shouldn't have.

"I don't know what you're talking about", he replied, shrugging his shoulders.

Robin didn't answer and Zoro took the opportunity to get the first bottle he found in the storeroom. He was going to slink away without further ado when she spoke again without taking her attention from her book.

"I suggest you don't use the crow's nest when it's not your turn for watch. Or at least, you should lock it."

The swordsman froze. The implication was perfectly clear and he turned to her again.

"What do you mean?" he grumbled.

"It could have been Chopper or Luffy, it's not safe", she answered, turning a page.

Zoro remained perfectly still for a moment. It was useless to deny in front of her, the archaeologist was far from stupid.

"What exactly did you see?" he asked, crossing his arms.

"More than I wanted but don't be alarmed, one of you still had his underwear."

This time, the fencer felt all the muscles of his body tighten. He didn't care what Robin or the others thought but he knew it wouldn't be the same for the cook. Then he wondered if he should threaten the young woman for her to keep silent and he put his hand on his swords.

"If you tell anyone about this…"

"I don't think it will be necessary", she interrupted him quietly. "Privacy is hard to keep on a ship."

She had a point.

"Yeah, well… We'll lock the door."

Robin didn't have another look for him but she gave a hint of a smile that sent shivers down his spine and he hurried out of the kitchen.

* * *

"What you doing with that bottle, marimo?" Sanji wondered when the swordsman joined him in the observation room a few moments later.

"Nothin'."

Zoro put the bottle in a corner, wondering if he should tell him what had just happened with the archaeologist. In fact, maybe it wasn't worth mentioning. Apart from seeing the cook freaked out, what would it bring him? Yet he didn't like the idea of hiding information from his shipmates, even though it was a special situation. Whatever the blond's reaction was, he made it a point of honor to remain honest. Decided, he was going to speak when he felt Sanji's hands caress his back sensually. He then preferred to postpone the conversation until later. After all, a few hours wouldn't make a difference…

* * *

"I have somethin' to tell you", Zoro said as the cook buttoned his shirt up near him.

"Hm?"

"Robin. She saw us."

"What?!"

Sanji dropped his cigarette, which he hadn't yet lit, and fixed his gaze on his.

"H-How do you know?"

"She told me. She was in the kitchen just now."

"And you tellin' me this now?!" the blond rebelled.

"I could have not told you. What difference does it make?" the swordsman calmly pointed out.

"I don't know, it's just…"

The cook made a face and grabbed his lighter.

"What she must be thinking now…"

"Meaning?" the fencer grumbled, putting his swords away to his hip.

"You know it very well", the blond said, glaring at him.

"No."

Sanji rolled his eyes.

"I don't want her to imagine anything!"

"She doesn't have to imagine. She saw."

"No, you moron!" the cook said, getting annoyed. "I don't want her to believe that anything is happening between us!"

"You mean you're afraid she won't fall under your spell anymore cos you get laid with a man?"

"Yeah, something like that…"

Zoro frowned. He had expected that type of reaction from the cook but it pissed him off anyway. The way he was ducking out in front of his attraction after all these last weeks made him want to throw up. Sanji was working very hard to make sure his little scandalous secret never reach the ears of their friends and even if he didn't care, he didn't like to realize the blond didn't live with his behavior. He was losing his respect at this simple thought.

"Anyhow, you didn't have a shot with her or Nami", he said harshly.

"What do you know, huh?"

The swordsman didn't bother to answer and fastened his belt.

"If you're so ashamed of what we're doin', we'd better stop there. I have no time to lose with cowards", he spoke again.

"What did you say?" the blond grumbled, feeling the anger raising.

"You heard me."

"What the fuck is your problem, idiot marimo?!"

Sanji didn't understand the sudden change of mood of the swordsman. It wasn't because he enjoyed their new hobby that he didn't think about the future. Before he could think more about it or even respond to his provocation, Zoro went to the door.

"Forget it, I'm goin' to bed."

The fencer left the crow's nest and the cook smoked his cigarette thoughtfully. There was something not quite right about the marimo but he had no worries, he will get over it.

* * *

He didn't get over it.

It had been five days since Zoro had been avoiding Sanji, throwing the blond into perplexity and growing annoyance. He couldn't understand why their little conversation had taken such a way or such proportions. The cook hadn't dared to speak about it with the beautiful archaeologist either and he really hoped that she would be kind enough to never mention it in front of him because he was feeling he wouldn't be able to justify himself properly.

He then welcomed their arrival on a new island with relief and enthusiasm. He was going to be able to clear his mind and think about a strategy to discuss with the swordsman away from prying ears.

As soon as the crew had disembarked, they had shared out the usual tasks between themselves and Sanji had gone to the market with the cyborg. After two hours of bargaining and buying, they had practically gone over everything and they headed for the last produce dealers.

The cook suddenly leaned over a stall and grabbed an eggplant to test its quality. Satisfied, he bought a good twenty and moved on to the next stallholder.

"Do you like lemon, Franky?"

The engineer next to him shrugged.

"I like it but it doesn't nourish me so much anymore."

"Maybe it could liven up the taste of your cola?"

"It'll mostly mess up everything. Don't you dare do that", he grumbled.

"As you wish."

Moments later, Sanji saw the swordsman a little further dozing at a bar table, a mug of empty beer in front of him. He glanced around but didn't see Luffy anywhere. Yet it was him that Nami had chosen to stay with the fencer "even if they were the two worst idiots" according to her. Seeking better, he saw the captain inside the bar, busy devouring a huge plate of meat at the counter. He would surely leave all his money on it.

Sanji smirked. Zoro was alone and hadn't spotted him. It was an opportunity to clear things up and he turned towards Franky not far from him.

"You can go back to Sunny, I've still got a bit of shopping to do and I'm coming."

"Super!"

The cyborg moved away quickly despite the weight of the shopping bags and the cola, and the cook grabbed a chair he brought to the table of the swordsman.

"This time, you can't run away", he took on, putting a cigarette to his lips.

Zoro looked up and grumbled when he recognized him.

"What d'you want?"

"I want you to explain to me why you're running away from me since last time", he said quietly as he sprang a flame from his lighter.

"I'm not running away from you!" the swordsman replied immediately, straightening himself up.

"Why are you pissed then?"

The blond took a long puff from his cigarette, patient.

"I don't wanna continue these bullshits, that's all."

"And since when?" he asked, surprised.

"Since you'd rather worry about what others think."

Sanji blew smoke from his cigarette and frowned.

"You get it all wrong, marimo."

"Don't take me for a fool", the swordsman replied aggressively. "You're so scared of turning gay you'd rather die than admit what we do. Especially in front of Robin and Nami."

The cook pulled the cigarette out from the corner of his mouth and looked at him with annoyance. He took a moment to think despite the urge he had to scream at him all the insults he knew. He didn't deny that the opinion of his princesses mattered to him but it didn't dictate his behavior. The worst was that Zoro just proved him he had no idea what he was going through lately. He looked at things from his small world and quite selfishly without thinking for a moment about him. At the same time, what could he have hoped for from him?

"You want me to tell you the truth?" he finally hissed. "I don't even ask myself about my sexual orientation anymore. I'm completely lost and I review the checkboxes in which I thought I could trace my entire life. So excuse me if from time to time I react a little excessively but it seems to me that it is not quite illegitimate."

He then gave him a venomous look before putting his cigarette back to his lips.

"You're right, I'm not used to find guys attractive yet but if that's the case one day, I'll make an announcement so everyone knows it. This way, you'll feel more comfortable."

Sanji stared at the swordsman whose cheeks had flushed with anger. If they hadn't been in public, there would be no doubt that they would have clashed for a long time and they glared at each other over the table.

"I don't give a shit about your moods, you idiot cook!" Zoro ranted. "That wasn't part of our plan!"

"Apart from fucking, what interests you in this plan anyway?" Sanji fumed. "You could just as well find anyone else and it wouldn't have to be a pain to me anymore!"

With these words, he got up and melted into the crowd, perfectly furious. Saying that he had come to the swordsman to settle this fuss. In reality, Zoro and he were absolutely not on the same page and he should have seen it coming a long time ago.

* * *

Sanji was enjoying the silence on the ship. In front of him, the city's lights glittered in the dark night but the port was far enough so that the noise of the party-goers didn't reach them too much. His watch was promising to be quiet.

The rest of the day had gone smoothly. They had filled up with food, medicine, cola and clothes for the girls. The island was calm, without naval base or patrol to disturb them and they had spent the evening quietly in an inn before returning to sleep on the Sunny.

Suddenly, the swordsman jumped nimbly onto the deck from the dock and landed beside him, causing him to jump. The cook bit his tongue to not berate him immediately. Zoro had disappeared from the face of the earth since they had argued and everyone had ranted and raved about his bad sense of direction but the blond knew that maybe, it wasn't the only reason for his absence.

"You managed to find the way back to Sunny?" he couldn't help but ask, taunting.

"I had things to do", the fencer dodged before looking at him with a superior air. "By the way, you were right. You're easily replaceable."

Sanji rolled his eyes to such arrogance as the swordsman was walking past him with a smile on his face.

"All the better, that makes two of us."

Zoro stopped and turned to look at him, amused.

"You're a bad liar, darts eyebrow. You'd never get laid so fast with a man, you got too much "moods" for that."

"Who told you it was with a man?" the blond replied calmly, dragging on his cigarette provocatively.

The swordsman frowned. He could hardly believe it but it was more plausible.

"Congratulations then, you officially turned straight again."

He turned on his heels and the cook watched him disappear before sighing. He had been stupid to answer in similar terms as Zoro on this ground. He had indeed had a good day but he had insinuated he had slept with the first girl he met and it was shameful to have come to this. He was worshipping women so much… What did he need to prove to this fool anyway?

* * *

With the return of the swordsman and the Log Pose reloaded, the navigator decided to go back to sea the next morning. She had found an old map in a dark shop suggesting an underwater treasure in the nearby waters and after having study it all night, she wasn't standing still.

She spent the whole day looking for the designated site on the map among the seafloor. She ran the Shark Submerge at full capacity and it eventually came to a standstill because of overwork after several hours, leaving Franky on the verge of tears. Then the crew members who didn't eat a devil fruit were sent to the water to sound the reefs and the rest of the team took turns to send them air through a machine built by the cyborg.

However, time went on unsuccessfully and the exhausted crew met in the kitchen in the evening to enjoy a well-deserved meal despite the captain's monkey who kept trying to steal their belongings regularly. Nami wasn't giving up and she announced to her friends that researches would resume the next morning in a wider area. Everyone agreed, not daring to contradict the navigator when it was about a treasure and Luffy took watch with his animal.

* * *

This is how at dawn, the young redhead maneuvered and calculated with determination, transcended at the prospect of new wealth. While she was working conscientiously, the rest of the crew was free and the usual activities were heard again on the ship.

For his part, Sanji had decided to classify and tidy up his new foods, thinking about new recipes that kept him occupied all morning. When it was almost lunch time and the meal was ready, he grabbed a pot of dried mushrooms and several spices before mixing and putting them down on his shelf. He was going to do the same with rosemary and chervil for a future marinade when the swordsman appeared suddenly into his kitchen, panting and sweating. He walked straight at his supply of bottles and the cook winced.

He was seeing the glimmer of provocation in his eyes from the other end of the room and he didn't want to reply. Zoro had been taunting him since the day before and they spent their time fighting and insulting each other.

"Stop strutting around, moron. Take your bottle and get out", he snapped.

"And what if I don't want to?" the fencer answered, emphasizing his smirk.

"You want me to kick you out myself?" the blond growled.

"Cos you think you can do that, swirly swirly?"

The cook clenched his teeth. Nami had already told them off twice this morning and he knew she needed peace and quiet to find the treasure's site. So he did his best to ignore this new provocation.

"Quitter on top of that", the swordsman snickered.

Sanji glared at him.

"It'd make you too happy if I'd answer you but I decided I don't need you. In every sense of the word."

"Poor little clueless cook who's afraid of who he is", Zoro sneered.

"But why do you need to be such an asshole?!" the blond hissed, losing patience.

"Because I decided it."

The cook looked daggers at him, out of his mind.

"You're not gonna get on my nerves like that all the time, marimo!"

"Or what?" the swordsman provoked him again.

"Or you're gonna regret it."

"I'd like to see that."

Overwrought, Sanji grabbed his kitchen knife and threw it towards his target who, surprised by his motion, didn't move quickly enough. The blade stuck into the wall, holding back the fencer's tee-shirt at the level of his belly.

"Fuck!"

Mad with rage, Zoro struggled to free himself but the cook's knife didn't move and just tore his clothes a bit more. The blond approached, a smile on his lips. He grabbed the handle and took the opportunity to look into the eyes of the swordsman a few inches away.

"You know I don't like using my tools to fight but if you're asking for it, you're going to get it."

Zoro gave him a murderous look and the cook tore the knife out of the wall with a satisfied smile. He knew the swordsman wasn't going to slink away quietly after this stir so he left of its own accord, leaving him a way out.

A few minutes later when he came back, he found that Zoro had cleared off and he got on with arranging his dishes in good spirits.

* * *

"Move, I'm sure it's here!" Nami said, getting impatient.

She looked at the three divers of the moment, namely Ussop, Sanji and Zoro. The sniper was crying silently at the thought of being devoured by a Sea King and the two others were glaring at each other beyond their diving suits. No longer able to wait, she pushed them into the water and they fell with a cry of surprise. Satisfied, she then took up her map again and stared at Luffy who was watching her.

"What are you doing, you idiot? Go pumping!"

"Oh, yeah!"

The navigator sighed. She was surrounded by a bunch of good-for-nothing and she wondered by what miracle they were still alive. Fortunately, Robin was raising their pathetic level and she headed for her.

"Franky and Chopper are watching over the divers to make sure they don't have a problem but I'd feel better if you supervise them", she explained to her as she was coming close. "For my part, I'm gonna make certain Luffy and Brook don't stop sending them oxygen."

"Okay."

The archaeologist leaned close to Franky who seemed to doze against the rail. On the other hand, the little reindeer was staring at the ropes connected to their friends with all the concentration he was capable of.

"Is everything all right?" she asked them.

"Super", the cyborg yawned.

"The ropes of Sanji and Zoro keep moving. I'm sure they're fighting", the doctor noted.

"You really think there's a treasure down there?" the engineer inquired, turning toward the young woman.

"This is our navigator's conviction."

"I hope we'll find it quickly cos it's starting to piss me off…"

* * *

"What is taking them so long, these fools", Nami grumbled, glancing at her watch.

More than thirty minutes that they were underwater and no sign of getting back so far. What a bunch of retards…

"Nami, I'm tired!" the captain complained.

His swollen arms reddened by the sun testified to his condition and the navigator sighed.

"Okay, Brook and you swap with Franky and Chop- Hey, wait!"

The two idiots darted towards the front of the deck, letting the machine stop. By the time the cyborg and the doctor realize they had to take their places, the three divers' ropes panicked and Nami rushed to pump in their place.

"You knuckleheads!" she yelled at them as they winced a few feet away.

Suddenly, the ship was shaken from all sides and the navigator froze. Everyone flickered on the deck but Franky had the reflex to keep the oxygen machine in balance and they started turning the wheel again as soon as possible.

"Shit, what's that?" he grumbled after calm has returned.

"A monster!" Chopper panicked beside him.

"No, I don't think so", Nami said, anxious.

A little further, Luffy, Brook and Robin were checking the ropes. They still seemed securely fastened and no one had pulled for coming back.

A second, longer and more intense jolt was felt. Robin stopped Brook and Luffy from going overboard thanks to her multiple arms as Ussop's rope was breaking under the impact. Chopper and Nami flew against one of the walls of the Sunny and Franky held the machine with all his might to prevent it from falling into the sea.

"Ussop's rope gave out!" Brook worried a few seconds later.

"What do we do?" Franky screamed as he and Chopper were taking up the wheel of the oxygen machine again.

"Oh, no."

The navigator rushed towards the rail and leaned over the water with concern.

"This isn't good", she muttered.

"What is this?" Robin who had approached inquired.

"It's not a monster. It's…"

Nami glanced at Brook and Luffy who were staring at the sniper's piece of rope, eyes wide.

"Don't panic", she said. "Ussop still has his oxygen tube. You're going to go back up Sanji-kun and Zoro right now."

"What? What about the treasure?" the captain wondered.

"Forget the treasure, we have to get out of here!"

The whole crew stared at her, dumbfounded. If Nami was giving up the prospect of wealth so close to the goal, now was the time to really panic.

* * *

 _I_ _f you have any assumptions about what's going on, I'm all ears!_


	12. Pride and prejudice

_Welcome aboard._

 _Enjoy your reading._

* * *

 **Chapter 12**

 **Pride and prejudice**

Luffy was the first to react and he started pulling Sanji's rope to reach him back. Robin rushed to help him as Nami was sending Franky to help Brook pull Zoro's. She took his place next to Chopper and they turned the oxygen wheel, clenched teeth.

"What's going on, Nami?" the little reindeer asked her, frightened.

"A tsunami, Chopper. We need to get out of here as soon as possible."

The doctor felt the fear creeping deep into his entrails but he forced himself to suppress it. He had to keep sending oxygen to his friends until they came back among them.

* * *

"Why doesn't he keep quiet?" the cyborg grunted, tightening his hold on Zoro's rope which was moving in all directions.

"I have a bad feeling", the skeleton winced.

Sanji emerged from the water a few moments later with a frantic look. He struggled to get rid of his diving suit and turned towards his friends after having climb onto deck.

"We were jolted", he explained, catching his breath. "What happened? Is that why you got us back?"

"Sanji-kun, at the helm, get ready!" the navigator shouted from afar. "Brook, stand in for me. Franky, if Zoro's not here in two minutes, go get Ussop. Luffy'll take care of the rope."

"Ussop?" the cook repeated.

"His rope broke."

"Shit!"

"Everybody to your stations!"

The crew ran, sensing that the situation was serious. The navigator took the binoculars and turned her gaze to the sea, in search of the murderous wave.

"There she is", she whispered after a moment.

Time was flying dangerously and Zoro was still struggling under water, much to the dismay of his crewmates who were trying to pull him up.

"There must be something wrong", Luffy said, concerned.

"Maybe he's trying to reach Ussop when he saw he's not going back", the archaeologist mused.

"Or there's a Sea King down there!" Brook panicked.

Suddenly, the rope brutally slackened between the hands of the cyborg and he pulled up a ripped out end.

"He broke free!" the captain exclaimed.

"I'll get them", Franky decided, diving.

* * *

Minutes went by and Franky wasn't reappearing, just like Zoro and Ussop.

"Hell, we got to move!"

The navigator was impatient, her eyes on the approaching wave.

"Nami-san, what are we doin'?" the cook shouted from the helm.

"Prepare to turn to starboard", she replied. "Brook, Luffy, lower the sails! Chopper, keep on pumping. Robin, you don't see them go up?"

"No, still nothing."

"Damn it..."

Finally, Zoro emerged from the waves a little further, Franky at his side. They were holding Ussop's unconscious body and they swam toward the ship but the strong current was drifting them out to sea.

"Zoro, Franky!" the little reindeer yelled.

"They're getting sucked up by the sea", the archaeologist noticed. "So do we..."

The Sunny was drifting faster and faster, as if attracted by an invisible force and the ground swayed beneath the feet of the crew.

"What's that thing?" Luffy said, wide-eyed, as he clung on to the edge.

"The sea is withdrawing", Nami explained, her jaw tight. "Sanji-kun, get out the paddle wheels! We'll have to use a Coup de Burst to get off the hook..."

"We have to wait until they get back!" Chopper begged.

"What the hell is goin' on here?!" the cook shouted in their backs, totally unsteady as well.

The navigator pointed her finger to the west and all followed her gaze before freezing, horrified.

"Wh-What is it?" Brook stammered.

"A tsunami", Robin understood with dread. "The shakes were earthquakes."

"Exactly", Nami confirmed. "We better not hang around here."

Determined, Luffy turned towards the archaeologist.

"Robin, you must hold me while I go get them. The current is too strong, they won't be able to go up!"

"What?" the doctor exclaimed. "Luffy, you can't-"

The captain had already climbed to the edge of the figurehead and he threw his elastic arms forward in search of his crewmates. Robin positioned her arms all around his body to prevent him from slipping, the suction getting stronger and stronger.

As for her, Nami rushed to the hold to make sure the cola stocks were ready and sufficient. Then she prepared to engage their master card and only hope of survival. She glanced again through the porthole and turned pale.

"Luffy, hurry up", she whispered.

* * *

The Sunny was gaining speed. Despite the powerful paddle wheels running at full capacity, it was dragged by the considerable ebb of the giant wave that was rising higher and higher to the sky.

Perched on the figurehead, the captain stretched himself as best as he could and managed to catch the body of his first mate. He wrapped his arm around him and pulled him towards the ship at a mile a minute, making him crash against the mast on his arrival. His arms then set off again in search of Franky who was holding Ussop against him. He brushed against his hand but a bump diverted him.

"Man, I'm not gonna make it that way!" he fumed, leaning forward.

Robin kept focused and tightened her hold to maintain Luffy's balance. She was struggling to keep her own stability but she couldn't move because the straw hat boy was leaning more and more on her multiple arms.

"Heavy point!"

Chopper grabbed the archaeologist with one firm hand while he was clinging with the other at the rail, giving them a grip. For his part, Brook dragged the swordsman inside when he noticed blood dripping from his diving suit along his leg.

* * *

"Luffy!" the navigator screamed on the deck.

The wave was only a few meters away from them and it was racing at a vertiginous speed.

"Got them!"

By the speed of the impact of his arm, the cyborg and the gunner hit Luffy in the head, ejecting him in his turn, and they went sprawling against the kitchen's door.

"Hang tight!" Nami yelled again. "Sanji, helm hard to starboard!"

For her part, she engaged the Coup de Burst and the Sunny took off to attack the wave which came toward them. Nami then managed to raise herself alongside the blond who had turned the rudder as much as possible and who was clenching his teeth. The ship had to rise quickly enough or they would be lost.

"Come on, come on!" the navigator chanted, her eyes on the body of water. "Come on, go higher! Go higher!"

Finally, Nami saw the blue sky on the other side of the wave and the Sunny passed it in a spray of sparkling water.

"Yes!" she yelled, ecstatic.

For a few seconds out of time, the cook and the navigator watched the raging landscape of Grand Line which was twisting under the effect of the tsunami beneath them. The force of nature was always a breathtaking sight.

"We're going down!" the blond then shouted to the others.

The landing was rather brutal and shook the whole crew who rose slowly, still groggy by the various accelerations. Chopper rushed to Franky who was spitting water as he was straightening up. Ussop was still unconscious and he examined him quickly before taking him to the infirmary. At last, the musician went out, holding the fencer whose leg was still dripping with blood.

"What happened?" Luffy asked, getting close to his first mate.

"We felt jolts and a whirlpool formed between two sea beds", Zoro explained, wincing. "You tried to get us back but Ussop got dragged so I went to get him."

"And your leg?" Franky asked him.

"A rock fell on me cos of the whirlpool."

"Go to the infirmary", Nami ordered him. "Chopper will take care of you. I'll see where we landed."

* * *

It turned out that they weren't so far from their original course and the Log-Pose was pointing out their next destination toward the south. During the meal, Ussop showed up again as well as the swordsman whose wound had been treated. Luffy's monkey of the airs was terrified and he was howling continuously since the ship had taken off, much to the dismay of the entire crew.

"Luffy, he was really scared", Chopper translated compassionately.

"That's weird, I told him it was over now!" the captain wondered.

"That's enough, you have to release him", Nami intervened, annoyed.

"But it's my pet!"

"He won't be happy with us", Sanji showed him. "Look at the condition he's in..."

Luffy watched his monkey who was leaping in all directions, visibly still distraught. He sighed and looked into his eyes. The animal stared at him for long seconds and the straw hat boy believed he could guess his thoughts.

"Okay, if that's what you really want, Vanilla-Strawberry."

Nobody made comments about the name the captain had given his monkey and he caught him before taking him outside.

The sniper took the opportunity to tell his embellished underwater adventure under the admiring eyes of the little reindeer. He then took his bag and looked through it.

"I found some trinkets before I saw myself die", he grumbled.

"You found the treasure?" the navigator asked, her eyes bright.

He handed her crockery and objects with golden gleam. Nami scratched the mold and examined it with interest before sighing.

"It must have been part of a much larger treasure. What a shame you didn't take everything..."

"Yeah, don't thank me, I just almost died! And don't count on me to go back there!" the gunner rebelled.

"In any case, the whirlpool must have swept everything away", Robin said. "It's useless to look for it now."

Nami sighed once again but the captain returned at that moment, smiling.

"Vanilla-Strawberry flew away with his friends! Hey, we still had fun today!"

* * *

Sanji had settled in front of the Sunny for his watch. In fact, it was the navigator's turn but the gentleman cook had gallantly offered to take her place in light of the grueling day they had spent. Nami had thanked him with a bewitching smile and the blond had slowly broken down with happiness at her feet.

With the last twists, the ship was already quiet, as everyone had gone to sleep quickly after the meal.

The cook suddenly felt a presence behind his back and he turned around. In front of him, Zoro had unsheathed his swords and prepared himself, determined.

"Maybe you think I forgot what you did this morning?" he said in a cold voice. "You and I have unfinished business."

Sanji winced. Even under water, they had tried to hit each other and it was obviously not the swordsman's injury that prevented him from continuing to fight.

"I'm gonna blow your freakin' head off."

The blond had barely enough time to move as he felt the blade not far from his cheek.

"It's you who keep picking fights with me!" he fumed in his turn, kicking him.

"I can't stand your stupid lovesick face!"

"Yet you were comfortable with it so far!"

Zoro threw his swords against the cook who avoided them before launching an attack that grazed the fencer.

"I never liked the quitters of your kind!" Zoro spoke again, crashing down his sword in front of him.

"Neither had I like morons of yours!"

The uninterrupted blows continued for long minutes. Without the intervention of the navigator, their fight went wild and the accumulated tension of the day finally poured out.

However, despite his fury, the blond soon felt tired by their incessant struggles. They couldn't fight until the end of time because of such a futile argument. He then went away a bit to catch his breath.

"Listen, marimo, you need to move on. I love fighting with you but you're overdoing this."

"Is that your excuse to duck out?" the swordsman retorted, amused. "Definitely, it really is your thing..."

"Don't get smart, you know very well what I'm talking about", Sanji said, getting annoyed.

Zoro knew but he didn't care. All he could see was that the cook was struggling for two days not to respond to his provocations and he wanted to show him how much he couldn't do without him, no matter what he said. A sneaky idea then emerged in his mind and he lowered his swords, falsely remorseful.

"Okay, darts eyebrow, what do you suggest?"

"Why don't we calm down a bit, huh?" the blond began. "We need to breathe, I think."

"Breathe?"

The swordsman moved closer, his swords in hand, until he faced him at a few inches. He didn't dominate him much in size so he accentuated the weight of his gaze.

"You talk about breathing but what we need is to be separated by a hundred miles. Then, I could breathe."

Sanji sighed.

"You're exaggerating, we managed to co-exist until then."

"Yeah. Until then."

The swordsman had a hoarse voice and he had fixed an eager gaze on his own. The cook was surprised for a second before feeling himself caught by his fierce eyes that never left him and he thought he could read an invitation. He wanted to lean over to get hold of his lips but Zoro stopped him, a victorious smile distorting his features.

"Too bad, cook, you've been a nice hobby but I've found better."

Sanji realized the swordsman had once again provoked him to better humiliate him and he flushed with anger.

"I'm sick of your fucking ego!"

He pushed him away violently and Zoro crashed into the mast with an insolent laugh.

"Are you already caving in with your new resolutions?" the fencer said disdainfully.

The blond straightened his shirt and glared at him.

"And what about yours? Hadn't you moved on?

"Of course I have and about that, it seems I have a head start on you", he replied arrogantly.

Sanji rolled his eyes. He was really tired of this whole thing.

"What's the point? I tried to be honest with you, I told you what I thought but you didn't like it", he pointed out with a sigh. "Now you can do whatever you want without me annoying you so what's the big deal?"

Zoro stepped closer to look him up and down. They were both serious now and he was going to hurl him the truth he didn't want to accept.

"No matter what you want me to believe, you still want me, cook."

"So what? That never was the problem", the blond calmly replied.

The swordsman lost his confidence for a second and the cook continued with irritation.

"I was sincere with you from the beginning, marimo. I told you it was unknown for me and you never said it was a problem for you!"

"Yeah but I didn't know you'd be such a wuss about it!"

"But what did you expect?" Sanji said, indignant. "That I forget I've spent my whole life being attracted to girls?!"

Zoro moved, suddenly uncomfortable. His convictions were slowly cracking in front of the blond's speech and his real motives hit him hard. Yet he wasn't ready to admit it so easily.

"You're afraid of what others will think about you!" he spat contemptuously.

"No, you moron! I'm only afraid to find myself every day different from what I was the day before!"

The swordsman frowned and Sanji sighed before lighting a cigarette and staring at him.

"I always imagined myself surrounded by women! Feeling desire for a man, acting on it and asking for more, that wasn't the plan. What will happen next time? I'll draw a line under All Blue and join the Navy?"

Zoro stared at him, stunned.

"You've discovered another side of your personality, that doesn't mean you're gonna turn into someone else!"

"It may be obvious to you but me, I have no clue."

The cook leaned against the rail and lost himself in his thoughts among the smoke swirls. The night was almost entirely dark, casting a ghostly shadow on the ship amidst the cold brightness of the stars.

The swordsman stared for a moment at his crewmate and finally put his swords at his waist. He sighed loudly in his turn and moved closer to cope with him, his face closed.

"So what we're gonna do until you sort it out in that idiot head of yours?" he muttered, crossing his arms.

Sanji looked up, surprised.

"I thought it was clear and you already had made up your mind about that? It's you who have a problem with it. You find my moods stupid, I remind you."

Zoro scowled.

"It's rather that as you refuse this part of you, I don't see why you'd like to continue."

The blond stared at him for a moment in astonishment.

"But I don't refuse it, damn it! I just need time to control what's happening to me! I'm not able to ignore it and shrug my shoulders by telling myself that I'd find out! I tried but I'm not like that, that's all!"

"So what we did wasn't a problem for you?" the swordsman asked him.

"If I had been gay all my life and you were a woman, I'd ask myself the same questions. That clears it up for you?"

The fencer nodded slowly and Sanji crushed his butt into an ashtray.

"Anyway, that doesn't change anything for us", he continued. "If we started it, it was to enjoy it and kept it casual so you have the right to decide to end it, it makes sense."

Zoro remained still while gazing at the cook. He had felt deeply disappointed by what he had taken for a form of cowardice from the one he was thinking more highly than he was willing to admit. Because of his volcanic character and his permanent insolence, the swordsman had both the urge to slice him open but also a certain admiration for his will never to flint before him. His exaggerated resistance got him tired but it was also proof that the blond was sticking to his principles more than anything and for that, he considered him reliable and worthy of his respect. Two characteristics he had thought losing, believing the cook preferred deny himself rather than accept who he was.

Now that he had understood his reasoning, his anger was dwindling. He could be honest in his turn.

"I'm still in."

Sanji frowned, skeptical, before giving him a mocking glance in front of his serious look.

"I thought I was easily replaceable?"

The swordsman shrugged.

"Probably, but I'm too lazy to look."

The cook smiled indulgently at this half-confession. In the end, they both had changed reality.

"Same here", he then admitted.

"I knew it", Zoro said with a satisfied smile.

"No, you didn't. You had no idea", the blond quietly reminded him. "You even congratulated me for my return as a str-"

"Shut up, you idiot cook."

The swordsman brutally grabbed his lips and Sanji found with delight the feeling of his skin against his. He hadn't been aware of the lack he was feeling before tonight when Zoro had provoked him and this simple fact was giving him an additional indication: he didn't know if he would be attracted to other men one day but regarding the marimo, it was clear. Perhaps it was because of their rivalry stemming from unlike personalities but emotions were always devastating in his presence, either way. The cook increased the pressure of his hands and raised them along the back of the fencer, causing a new wave of passion on his part since he put his swords down awkwardly a little further to press against him.

Zoro was kissing the blond with voracity. He dragged him against the nearest wall and used his hands to hold him before giving in to the temptation and slipping them feverishly under the half-open shirt. His fingers traveled with relish the cook's finely muscled chest while he was resisting the urge to tear purely and simply all his clothes off. The wind was blowing gently between them, pleasantly cooling down their already hot skins.

He moved away from his mouth for a moment to catch his breath but didn't stop his strokes and he heard the blond sigh contentedly against his ear. His desire intensified immediately and he got one of his hands down to the manhood of his crewmate whose hips accompanied him in his movement.

He wasn't going to last, he was too excited. The cook's stifled moans made him crazy and he suddenly stopped his motions to calm them both. Against him, Sanji tried to control the erratic beats of his heart for a few seconds before taking possession of his mouth again. This time was far too short to allow the swordsman to take the pressure off and he let himself get caught up by the tongue of his lover who was wrapping around his. Before he knew it, the blond's hand had settled around his manhood under his pants and he barely held a grunt of pleasure that Sanji's kiss came to muffle against his lips.

"We should find a quiet place", he whispered to the cook.

"I'd like that but I'm on watch", the cook reminded him, panting.

"Oh?"

"I offered Nami-san to take her turn, she was tired."

"Idiot."

The swordsman nodded towards the crow's nest.

"From up there, we can do both."

"You sure?" the blond hesitated.

"You'd rather stop?" he asked him, leaving his lips on his neck again.

Sanji softly shook his head and Zoro dragged him firmly to the crow's nest with a satisfied smile.

As soon as they arrived, he glanced at the wide windows to check that no threat was in sight and then again, he stuck his hands under the cook's shirt in front of him who was unbuckling his pants, his eyes feverish.

The fencer swore that he wouldn't have the stupid idea of keeping out of these exhilarating sensations on his own initiative ever again.

* * *

 _I hope you find the characters realistic._

 _Nami and Luffy will be back in the next chapter!_


	13. Feminine intuition

_Thanks to yukino76 for your review._

 _Welcome aboard for the new readers._

 _Enjoy your reading._

* * *

 **Chapter 13**

 **Feminine intuition**

"Franky, can I ask you a question?"

"Yeah."

The engineer gave a final brushstroke to the bathroom door of the girls and smiled, satisfied, before turning towards his captain.

"What do you wanna know?"

"I'm in love with Nami."

"What?!"

The cyborg dropped his paint can, which happily didn't splash the ground and stared at the perfectly calm straw hat boy in front of him. He then decided he had necessarily misunderstood.

"Can you repeat, please?" he said, picking up his things.

"I'm in love with Nami", Luffy reiterated.

Franky froze and carefully put his brushes down at his feet.

"Okay but uh... It's not a question", he pointed out, confused by this admission.

"You think I should tell her? Sanji asked me to think about it but I don't know!"

"Uh..."

"I still have a stomach ache, it doesn't disappear!"

"Uh..."

"What am I gonna do?!"

Franky stared at his captain. This conversation was totally beyond him. He had just noticed Sanji knew something, that was a start.

"We'll go see the cook, he must explain to me a couple of things", he grumbled.

* * *

"Hey, Sanji, tell me somethin'", Franky began as he was entering his kitchen. "It seems Luffy's in love with Nami, what's goin' on?"

The blond turned to the two newcomers, the cyborg at a complete loss and the captain with an outsized smile. He sighed and stuck his cigarette butt between his teeth.

"That's the truth, Luffy discovered love. Chopper diagnosed him, he thought he was sick."

The carpenter turned toward the latter, perfectly stunned.

"Wow, I can't believe it", he mumbled as he was watching the amazed face of his captain who was smiling at him even more.

"Luffy, did you decide if you wanted to talk to her about it?" Sanji took the opportunity to ask him.

"I don't know what to do, that's why I asked Franky!" he explained to him.

"Franky can't help you or anyone else. You have to choose if you prefer to stay like that or take the risk to talk to her and see what she thinks."

"Hm..."

The straw hat boy concentrated for a moment before raising his head, disappointed.

"I don't know what to do!" he shouted.

"No need to scream", the cook grumbled while the cyborg was sighing.

"What's going on here?" Ussop inquired, poking his head around the door.

"Just Luffy who's in love with Nami and doesn't know if he should talk to her or not", Franky quietly recapped.

"Wh-wha... W-What?!"

"Yeah, that's about what I said five minutes ago."

The sniper rushed towards his friend and grabbed him by the shoulders to look him in the face.

"Are you serious, Luffy? You're in love with Nami?!"

"Yeah, I think so. Chopper told me."

The gunner hugged him emotionally and Luffy hugged him back, laughing.

"You're all too funny!"

"Who knows?" the gunner then asked the other two.

"A lot of people", Sanji shrugged.

Ussop turned to his captain again, delighted.

"This is Straw Hat Luffy's biggest adventure!" he trumpeted, starting a dance with him.

"Great, an adventure!" the captain replied excitedly.

As they were whirling together, Franky interrupted them.

"It's all very well to dance but maybe we should answer his question. I don't think he'll get through this by himself on this one. Beating the shit out of Warlords, that's okay but women, he's far from fathoming anything about it!"

The gunner stopped twirling and nodded.

"You're right, we have to think about it seriously. Let's see... You know, Luffy, if you don't feel like telling her, it's best to get positively noticed and she'll be the one to talk to you", he advised him.

"It's not a bad idea", the cook agreed.

"Great, we'll do that!" Luffy exclaimed, delighted.

The two friends danced again for a few moments before Sanji kicked everyone out to keep working. Franky and Ussop then dragged Luffy outside, engaging into specialized explanations for Nami to fall under his spell. On the way, they met Brook and exposed the problem to him. The skeleton immediately suggested writing a song in honor of the navigator so that Luffy could offer it to her and the captain accepted with enthusiasm.

They settled on the deck and began their composition not far from Zoro whose they disturbed the nap and who refused to join them. Finally, Chopper came out of the infirmary with Robin and the young woman was let into the secret in her turn.

In less than fifteen minutes, all the Sunny had been made aware except for the person concerned who was doing the accounts in her cabin. With the advices of his friends and deciding to follow Ussop's strategy, the captain decided to take action at the next meal.

* * *

What the hell is he doing?

Nami stared at Luffy for the third time during lunch. He was nicely asking her if she wanted again a bit of the dish he hadn't completely devoured and logically, she couldn't help but find his attitude totally unseemly. Since when was he making efforts concerning food? Maybe to thank her for finding these few gold charms? No, it wasn't like the captain.

She glanced at Sanji who was agreeing with the straw hat boy, handing her the dish.

"What's with this dish, you don't like it?" she asked Luffy suspiciously.

Around the table, her friends coughed awkwardly and she frowned a little more. She was missing something and she didn't like being left out. Seeing all the faces fixed on her, waiting for her answer, she decided to avoid the question.

"No, thanks. I'm full."

She might have thought Luffy would be disappointed but he swallowed with a big smile the portion he offered her a few seconds ago. In contrast, the cook seemed upset.

"It's very good, Sanji-kun", she added. "It's just that I've eaten enough and we'll be arriving at our next destination soon, I need to keep heading."

"Don't worry, sweetie. I'll be making cocktails this afternoon!" the blond said with a seductive smile.

Reassured, the navigator hastened to leave the kitchen to find fresh sea air. She observed the Log-Pose which confirmed they were still in the right direction. They should arrive in the early evening if her calculations were accurate. It was obviously a winter island and snowflakes were beginning to flutter in the sky.

* * *

After having taken the time to redraw the outlines of their last destination on her map, Nami met Robin who was watering her flowers and she took the opportunity to warn her that she should plan warm clothes for their disembarkation.

"By the way, don't you think the boys are weird right now?" she asked her friend.

"No more than usual", Robin replied, pouring out the content of her little watering-can.

"It's strange, I've got the impression they try to tell me something but I don't understand what it is..."

"What do you think about Luffy?" the archaeologist suddenly asked.

"Luffy? What do you mean?"

"Do you like him?"

"Wh-what?" the navigator stammered. "I don't know. Honestly, I never thought about it..."

"Maybe you should", Robin equally suggested.

"Why?"

"No reason."

"You're as strange as the boys", Nami mumbled, glancing suspiciously at the young woman before heading for her tangerine trees.

* * *

"Land!" Chopper exclaimed enthusiastically.

The crew rushed to the front of the ship, bursting with excitement at the thought of a new adventure. The sun was falling on Grand Line and the last rays were decomposing snow light around them. The atmosphere was magical despite the polar air and confident smiles were stretching on all faces.

Cap screwed on the head, Nami gave the starting signal as soon as they berthed. She had decided to take the crew to have dinner in town, to the delight of her friends. The harbor was guarded and there was no reason to watch the Sunny this time.

The captain quickly located an inn with mouth-watering odors and everyone run in noisily. Sitting down at a long table by a large fireplace, they ordered half of the dishes on the menu which they ate their way through with laughter.

"Hey, innkeeper, you have another bottle?" Zoro suddenly called him out through the room.

The man nodded and sent his waitress to drop the order. Sanji unscrewed his head as he watched her and Brook caught him before he fell to the floor.

"Guess who I imitate?" Ussop snickered, placing a strand of hair in front of his heart-shaped left eye. "Miss, I'll be your white knight until the end of time!"

The table burst out laughing and the sniper thanked his audience before Luffy took his place. He put his hair up into an unlikely banana and took off his pants under the flabbergasted eyes of the other patrons.

"Where are my cola bottles?! You'll get smacked if you don't return them!"

His crewmates shrieked with laughter and the captain slipped on his pants to the applause.

"Well, well. There's a great atmosphere in this village!"

A guy with a sinister look had just appeared, immediately killing the mood in the restaurant.

"Boss, you give us a round?" he added, turning to the innkeeper.

"If you don't have money, you can go home", the man replied, undeterred.

"I have money but see, I don't want to spend it."

He sat down not far from the straw hat crew table and his acolytes barged in behind him, laughing nastily.

"Boss, we're thirsty", the man repeated.

As the innkeeper wasn't moving, the man snorted disdainfully.

"Don't force me to get up, you'd regret it."

At these words, one of his underlings showed a knife to the innkeeper who took a step back.

"Are you deaf or something? He told you no, rat face!"

The seated man looked up at a black-haired kid hidden under a straw hat who was seething with anger in front of him.

Around him, his friends laughed and one of them flung him a wanted poster.

"We're the Watermelon Pirates! The captain's head is worth 100 million berries!"

Luffy let the sheet of paper fly behind him, totally ignoring it.

"I don't care who you are. You're gonna get out of here, that's all I'm interested in."

The watermelon captain burst out laughing and the others imitated him.

"Are you sure of that, kiddo?"

"As sure as I'll be one day the Pirate King!"

This time, the man and his friends laughed contemptuously.

"Pirate King, no less!" the captain spoke again. "The bunch of greenhorns behind you is your crew then?"

"Exactly! We are the Straw Hat Pirates!"

"The Str-"

The man stopped for a few seconds, stiffening. He glanced at one of his subordinates who rummage through a bag before turning pale.

"I-It's them, boss. The whole crew!"

Furious, his captain stood up brutally, looking at the other crew defiantly whose calm smiles had nothing to reassure him.

"You may be a rubber man, Straw Hat, but I'm a watermelon man and there's nothing you can do against me! I'll make you eat your hat and I'll pocket the reward!"

His men positioned themselves behind him, taking out various weapons and greedy smiles. For their part, Franky, Zoro and Sanji got up to join Luffy.

"We can never eat up in peace", Nami grumbled to herself as she grabbed a French-fry.

* * *

The watermelon man blew up until he burst the ceiling, his body becoming as round as a watermelon. His whole body seemed to have become the famous fruit, up to his red flesh and his black pips.

"It's pretty cool!" Luffy admired.

"You haven't seen the best!" his opponent sneered. "My body is whirling faster than a spinning top and if I catch you, you'll be beat to a pulp by the poison from the watermelon fruit!"

To prove his words, he plopped himself down on the table which disappeared in a sucking sound, literally devoured by the poison that eat it entirely. The inn's patrons run screaming facing this last unpleasant detail and Luffy decided to avoid being touched.

"That's big!" he however exclaimed with shining eyes.

"Luffy, concentrate", Sanji muttered at his side. "This guy tries to impress us but it's just smoke and mirrors."

"You're right", his captain said. "Zoro..."

"No problem, we take care of the others", his first mate assured him.

At these words, the swordsman put his hand on his swords in their sheaths, a predatory smile to the corner of his lips. He then charged at the nearest ten men, wielding his swords in a Falcon Wave whose breath brought his enemies down. Sanji raised his right leg, ready to knock the next ten out and Franky unscrewed his arm in the direction of the last ten.

"Take this, watermelon blockheads!"

* * *

The battle raged for just a few minutes and soon, only Luffy and the watermelon man were still on stage. The rest of his underlings were lying in a mess in the destroyed room while Sanji, Zoro and Franky didn't look like they have suffered. Behind them, the rest of their friends were waiting, ready to intervene if necessary.

The opponent of the straw hat was fast and his only weak point was his head since the rest of his body was decimating everything he touched. Luffy was struggling to target such a small part of his body in view of his speed. The watermelon captain was also spitting his pips in his face and they cut each obstacle on their way, forcing his companions to back down at a reasonable distance.

After a few moments, Luffy turned his gaze on his enemy who was once again trying to crush him, a smile on his face.

"I got to say you're fast, watermelon guy but I'll blow you to juice! Gear second!"

Immediately, his body began to go pink and to smoke, and his next attack finally reached the head he was coveting, half knocking him out. He carried on with a Gum-Gum Gatling that didn't allow the man to come to his senses and he stayed unsteady on his feet. Determined, Luffy then sent him a huge Gum-Gum Pistol that sent him flying into the sky before falling heavily to the ground he dug on several tens of meters, his face disfigured and his round belly deflated.

His wounded men dragged themselves to their unconscious leader before pulling him out of his hole and scampering away not without promising vengeance to the straw hat and his crew.

Satisfied but tired, the captain screwed his hat back again on his head and made for the innkeeper.

"Sorry for your restaurant but at least, they won't bother you anymore!"

"Don't worry, I'm used to it", the man answered, sighing. "Thank you anyway."

"Well, guys, we need to find another place to finish the evening! I need to get my strength back!" Luffy said, getting enthusiastic and turning towards his friends who gladly approved.

* * *

The crew got a referral to another inn a few blocks from the first and they ordered the desserts they hadn't had. While resuming their laughter and their discussions in the middle of Brook's violin notes, Nami suddenly felt melancholic. Intrigued, she automatically glanced at her Log-Pose and the bracelet that was glittering at its side reminded her of the reason.

"Is something wrong?" Robin asked at her side.

"No, nothing serious", she reassured her. "I think I'll go back to the ship, I'll wait for you there."

"Are you sure?" the archaeologist kept on.

"Yes. Don't worry."

At these words, she got up and made a small sign of goodbye to her friend while the others watched her cross the doorstep with surprise.

"Where is Nami-san going?" Sanji asked. "If those bastards hurt her, I'll make them look like lunchmeat", he added gloomily.

"It's nothing like that, she just comes in to rest", Robin said.

"All alone?" the blond kept on, preoccupied.

"Our navigator knows how to defend herself."

The cook nodded with a sigh and Chopper stood up.

"If she's sick, I have to listen to her chest."

"I don't think she's ill", the archaeologist said. "I would say that it is more like a lack of morale."

"Nami is feeling depressed? That's a new one", Franky stated.

"I know many songs to get the men's spirits back!" Brook offered.

"Luffy, this is your chance to look your best!" Ussop intervened by grabbing his friend's arm.

"What you mean?" his captain asked.

"You have to speak to her!" the sniper developed.

"Are you sure? If she isn't in the mood, now's probably not the best time", the cook pointed out.

"Quite the contrary! Luffy, you have to care about her and comfort her!"

"Comfort her?" the captain wondered. "Okay!"

He got up and put on his coat.

"Do I have to tell her about my stomach ache?" he asked the gunner.

"If it's increasing when you talk to her, do it."

Luffy gave him a huge smile and Ussop watched him go away, his eyes bathed in tears.

"It's like my little boy is all grown up", he whined when the captain left in his turn.

"It's going to be okay, long nose", Franky said, holding him a handkerchief.

"Your advices are the best with regard to this side of our captain", Robin agreed.

"T-Thank you very much."

The sniper blew his nose and the conversation slowly resumed among the remaining members of the crew.

* * *

Nami was watching the moonlight to be reflected on the sea, sitting on the edge of the deck and feet swinging in the air. She played a few moments with the gold bracelet that was adorning her wrist and rested her head against the railing. The polar air was freezing each of her breathing out but she was enjoying the bitter cold sensation against her skin.

"You sick, Nami?"

Luffy was staring at her with curiosity, leaning over her.

"Luffy? What are you doing here?" she asked him with surprise.

"Robin said you didn't feel well and you wanted to go back here. You don't like the new inn?"

"No, it's all right", she reassured him. "In fact, I was thinking about Nojiko..."

"She's sick?"

The young red-haired woman gave a hint of a smile. Her captain could be so blunt sometimes.

"I don't know. I hope not. It's been so long since I've had any news..."

The straw hat boy sat next to her.

"You can use Den Den Mushi, right?"

"Yes but I'm afraid the line is kept under surveillance and I don't want to get them into trouble. I have done that too many times before."

"It wasn't your fault, Nami."

The navigator smiles at him. To this day, she still felt immensely grateful to Luffy for ridding her of Arlong's yoke.

"Actually... Today is her birthday. I always managed to be present that day with her but since we're on Grand Line, I couldn't fulfill the promise I made to myself", she then confided to him.

"You want us to buy her an enormous present?" her captain asked excitedly. "We can send it from all of us!"

"You- You'd do that?" the young woman stammered.

"Of course! If it's important to you, we can spend our berries for a gift for your sister!"

Nami saw the young straw hat captain give her his huge smile as he knew how to make. She then measured how lucky she had been to meet him.

"I'm sure it would please her but you know, I have my own money", the navigator replied softly. "It's my turn to buy this gift for her but the fact that you've offered it means a lot. Thank you, Luffy. For everything you've done for me since... all this time."

Her captain didn't answer but he gazed at her with a smile, visibly satisfied. The young woman observed both his proud and boyish profile, his cheerful face that could yet be so serious and angry. She raised her hand close and caressed the straw hat contours he never left.

"I won't forget it", she whispered, looking into his eyes.

The boy in question nodded and smiled again before he spoke with determination.

"I need to tell you something, Nami."

His words shook the navigator who hurriedly moved back, embarrassed. She hadn't noticed her face had come so close to his and she thanked the Grand Line's gods for it to be Luffy.

"What's the matter?" she asked in a voice she hoped assured.

"When I see you, I often have a stomach ache."

Puzzled, the redhead looked at him and waited for the next developments.

"Chopper said it was okay and then Sanji assured me it wasn't a disease but Ussop thinks I need to tell you", he continued as if he was telling her the most obvious thing in the world.

Nami frowned, the pieces coming together little by little in her brain.

"I don't know why it happens to me but sometimes, I feel weird when I'm with you. Like right now."

Stunned by the revelation, the navigator felt her eyes widen and she remained speechless a few seconds. She understood better his strange attitude at table, the looks of their friends and Robin's questions suddenly.

She watched him as he was gazing at her serenely, already reassured about the fact that she would probably know what to do. The young man was a good captain, though perfectly crazy and out of control. He had for him his loyalty and his forthright honesty for the people he loved. Besides, what person other than Luffy had always had blind faith about her intentions, even though she had herself doubted?

"How is it... when you feel weird?" she asked him cautiously.

The straw hat boy began to think.

"It's like before a fight except I don't wanna fight."

"What would you like to do then?"

"I don't know", Luffy said sincerely. "I have no idea what I should do!"

"I do."

Before he had time to ask more questions, she gently placed her lips on his, watching out for his reaction. She didn't think she was wrong but it was Luffy so anything could happen... With a victorious smile, she soon felt the young man trying to reply awkwardly to her kiss and she increased the pressure of her mouth to guide him while she was pulling him more against her body.

A few moments later, out of breath, the straw hat boy stared at her, completely astounded.

"It's amazing! How did you know it was that?! I'd never have guessed!"

"Feminine intuition", she answered with an amused smile.

* * *

When the rest of the crew came back to the Sunny some time later, they found the captain and the navigator deep in conversation on the deck, their cheeks reddened by the cold. Trying to find out what had happened without looking like it, Ussop ostensibly cleared his throat as he walked past them.

Nami raised her head and smiled, understanding the desperate looks the sniper was sending to Luffy. Unconscious of his mute request, the captain contented himself to get up, his huge smile on his lips.

"So, Ussop, it was cool?"

"Yeah, yeah. And... you?"

The navigator wished them a good night and disappeared before having to answer instead of the straw hat boy who would certainly not understand the hidden meaning of the question. Robin did the same thing a moment later and headed for their room while Franky was encouraging her with a gesture to extort information from her friend when they would be alone. The archaeologist smiled mysteriously and closed the door behind her.

Ussop then planted himself in front of his captain, looking the most serious in the world, while Brook, Franky, Sanji and Chopper were gathering around him, just as impatient. Only Zoro went directly to the crow's nest, not a bit interested.

"So, Bro, you rocked?" the naval engineer asked.

"I rocked!" Luffy laughed, not sure what he meant.

"I expected nothing less from the proud Straw Hat Captain!" Brook exclaimed.

"Wait, I'm not sure he understood", the cook interrupted him, dubious. "Luffy, how did it go with Nami-san?"

"Good!" the captain said, grinning from ear to ear.

"What else?" Ussop encouraged him. "What did you tell her?"

"We talked about Nojiko, she was sad because it's her birthday!"

"Oh, that's why Nami didn't feel good earlier", the little doctor guessed.

"And then, what did you do?" the cyborg urged him. "You hooked up?"

"Hooked up?" the captain repeated, lost.

"Did you tell her about your stomach ache?" Sanji clarified.

"Oh, yes!"

"And?!"

All his crew was hanging on to his every word and Luffy burst out laughing.

"She asked me what I wanted to do when I had a stomach ache and as I didn't know, she kissed me here."

He pointed out his lips and smiled blissfully.

"Oh, Luffy..."

Ussop hugged him, no longer holding the tears running down his face.

"I'm really proud of you", he sniffed against him.

"Oh?"

"Bravo, Captain", Franky agreed with a smirk.

"Hurray for our captain!" the skeleton exclaimed.

"Hurray!" they all sang.

In the midst of his companions' enthusiasm, Luffy got carried away by their good humor and he also shouted his joy. He didn't quite understand why his crew congratulated him so much but their happiness was what made him happy so he took advantage of it with them.

* * *

 _I hope you enjoy the development between Luffy and Nami, I tried to keep their relationship light because I don't see Luffy being too serious about it. Besides, they're fast enough compared with some... :)_


	14. Like a Monday

_Thanks to yukino76 for your review._

 _Welcome aboard for the new readers._

 _Enjoy your reading._

* * *

 **Chapter 14**

 **Like a Monday**

"Shit!"

Zoro sat up with a grumble. Once again, he had fallen asleep in the crow's nest after his training and he had dropped everything to collapse on his carpet. This morning, he was regretting it after he got hit with his dumbbell in the head while turning on his makeshift bed.

The swordsman stood up sullenly. Annoyed by his painful awakening, he flung his dumbbell a little further that bounced and burst the wooden slats of the floor. Freezing a moment, Zoro sighed. He couldn't train properly now because of the damage.

"Great."

He winced once again before moving, heading for the kitchen to have breakfast.

When he arrived in the room, everyone was already around the table and was chatting happily. They were back at sea for a few days and the next island would soon be in sight according to Nami. He helped himself without flinching and chewed silently while trying to ignore the surrounding noise.

"Hey, why you have a bump on your head, Zoro?" his captain suddenly wondered in between bites.

"Have you already fought with Sanji?" the little reindeer grieved.

"Seriously, you're unbelievable", the navigator grumbled, giving them the stink eye.

The cook cast a questioning look at the swordsman who was feeling a headache break. He clenched his teeth before glaring at the table.

"I banged my head. End of story."

Everyone felt the threatening aura of the fencer spread into the room and turned away from him to resume a more pleasant conversation.

* * *

As soon as the meal finished, Zoro went to take a shower and then intercepted the cyborg who was tinkering in his workshop.

"I had a small accident with a dumbbell in the crow's nest", he informed him nonchalantly. "You'll have to come and see."

"Okay but be careful with the equipment", this one muttered, knowing better.

"Yeah, yeah."

The carpenter shook his head and went back to work as the fencer headed back to the kitchen, ready to forget the catastrophic start of his day.

* * *

"Love cook, I need to relax."

From his sink, Sanji turned around and gave him a disillusioned look.

"Are you aware I'm not at your disposal?"

"Don't screw up, I really need to switch off..."

The cook sighed and wiped his hands.

"Actually, I didn't start well too", he admitted. "I have this fucking song Brook keeps singing in my head and I wrecked the cutlery drawer when opening it..."

"See, it'll do both of us some good", the fencer encouraged him while approaching resolutely.

"Let me finish what I'm doing. I'll meet you at the crow's nest, okay?"

"Don't dawdle."

The blond rolled his eyes and heard Zoro go away as he was resuming his dishes. Their conversations were surrealistic sometimes...

* * *

As soon as Sanji closed the crow's nest trap door, the swordsman jumped on him, sending his jacket and shirt to the floor as he had already stripped off his own tee-shirt. However, the blond stopped him at the sight of the state of the room.

"What the fuck did you do, marimo?" he asked, stunned.

"Nothing. I just had some back luck."

Sanji didn't reply but his jaded look spoke for him and Zoro pulled him back to forget the subject. The cook didn't want to be outdone and he squeezed up against the warm body of the swordsman until they fell on the carpet, their mouths banging and their breaths getting tangled.

No words were needed, their desires spoke for them and their bodies reflected it. Like that, Sanji found himself surrounded by the fencer's muscular arms above him as the latter was nibbling his neck with excitement.

"Holy crap!"

Franky stared at his crew members from the crow's nest trap door and the two lovers broke apart, terrified. The cyborg finished entering the room and gazed at them for a few more seconds with astonishment. He then saw his pile of planks for repairs in a corner and the clothes that were strewn over.

"Fuck, guys! That's gross!"

Zoro frowned and Sanji felt his heart contract strangely at these words but no sound came out of his mouth. The engineer approached the woodpile and he prepared to clear their belongings before changing his mind. He turned to them, undecided.

"Don't tell me you did it in my workshop?"

The swordsman replied with a predatory smile and the carpenter groaned.

"Shit, I won't dare to touch anything anymore!"

He then stared at them for a long time while Sanji had grabbed his shirt, looking away.

"You did it everywhere, huh?"

In front of the cook's silence and the provocative smile still present from the fencer, Franky sighed.

"You clean up at least? Oh, no, don't tell me. Actually, I don't wanna know..."

"What you want, Franky?" the swordsman grumbled, visibly annoyed.

"Well, it's you who asked me to go make repairs!" he reminded Zoro, pointing out his toolbox in his hand. "Besides, you totally screwed up the floor, what the hell have you done?!"

"An accident with the dumbbell."

"Yeah..."

The cyborg sighed after assessing the damage at a glance and then looked back at the cook and the swordsman.

"Robin told me not to go up right now but I didn't understand why. She could have told me, really..."

"This isn't a good time", the fencer agreed, crossing his arms sullenly.

"I can come back later but... Still..."

"What?" Zoro growled.

"Why didn't you guys said it?!" the carpenter suddenly sniffed. "Luffy told us for Nami!"

"Huh?"

"My beautiful Sunny has given birth to love a second time and you say nothing? That's not cool, dudes!"

Sanji and Zoro stared at him in horror as the cyborg was pulling off his sunglasses, his eyes watering.

"Franky, don't you dare crying for that!" the fencer choked.

"Yeah, honestly, it makes me uncomfortable", Sanji winced as he was lighting a cigarette, fingers shaking.

"But I don't cry! I just got something in my eye... Oh, Brook! Come look at this!"

The skeleton poked his head in his turn in the crow's nest and the cyborg grabbed him by the shoulders, wiping his eyes, while the other two looked at him with bulging eyes.

"Can you believe it, man?" the engineer whined. "They found their soul mate on my ship and they don't tell me!"

Sanji turned brick-red and Zoro felt all his muscles tensing, ready for battle.

"Fuck, Franky, stop telling it to everyone!" he hissed.

"Oh, come on, you're already hiding!" the carpenter persisted.

"Love?!" Brook exclaimed. "Oh my God, I'm going to cry my eyes out... Oh no, I don't have eyes! Yohohohoho!"

The skeleton burst into laughter and stopped only when he found that the other three stared at him wearily.

"And besides, what are you doin' here, you too?" the swordsman spoke again, his teeth clenched.

"I came to inquire about a new technique of meditation", the musician told him with delight. "I'm really stressed right now, I need to relax!"

"Relax?"

"Yes, all my muscles are contracted, I need to release the pressure. Although I don't have any muscles...!"

Sanji noticed that the fencer was threatening to lose his temper. Gathering his wits, he decided to take things in hand.

"Guys, you're nice but Zoro and I would like to keep it quiet", he began, unsure.

"Oh, I see!" Franky rejoiced. "You're still into the each other phase? It's so cute!"

"Uh... Yeah, yeah", he stammered. "So if you could do... as if nothing had happened, huh? That would be cool..."

"You can count on us, Sanji, we won't tell!" he promised him gravely. "We'll preserve your privacy! Right, Brook?"

"Absolutely, I'm a man of my word!"

"Th-Thank you, guys."

With these words, Franky dragged the skeleton to the door not without a last tender glance at his friends. Behind the cook, Zoro thought his eyes were going to pop out of his head.

"Fuck. This time we're really busted", Sanji sighed, sitting down heavily on the pile of planks once they were alone again.

"What a moron, this piece of junk! And what is this shitty excuse about each other phase?!" the swordsman got upset, finally grabbing his tee-shirt with a bad mood.

"Yeah, well, if you don't like it, you had to think of something else!" the blond snapped. "I did what I could and besides, it's all your fault, you bastard! It was you who dragged me here when you told Franky to pass by!"

Zoro grumbled between his teeth. This day had started out terrible, he should have known it would be the time for their crew members to catch them.

After a few moments of tense silence, the cook finally sighed. He stuck his cigarette between his lips and leaned against the wall, thoughtful.

"You know, I was afraid for a minute... of what he was gonna say."

He glanced quickly at his lover to see if he understood the hint and Zoro scowled.

"If it had come to trash him, I'd have done it with pleasure."

"There was obviously no need, but everyone doesn't have this... open-mindedness", the blond mumbled.

The fencer stared harshly at him.

"I don't give a fuck what anybody think."

Sanji looked back at him, dragging on his cigarette butt.

"If you don't care about it, why did you almost beat him up when he insinuated we were together?"

"Cos this fool is the type to sprinkle the kitchen with rose petals to create a romantic atmosphere!" the swordsman replied disgustedly.

Sanji nodded softly and finally chuckled.

"I wonder if you wouldn't have preferred that he insults us rather than his reaction actually..."

Zoro winced and felt a shudder of horror run through him thinking back to the tears of their naval engineer. This guy could be done with three quarters of metal, he was more sentimental than a girl...

* * *

Brook and Franky had kept their promise and not a word had been said on the subject during the midday meal, nor even a meaningful look exchanged. Reassured, the swordsman and the cook had decided to meet again a little later to finish what they had started when they would have time and the afternoon had begun quietly for the crew.

The weather was cloudy and Nami regularly watched over the course and the Log-Pose, trying at the same time to channel the boredom of the captain. Ussop had suggested to Luffy to participate in the development of fireworks but the navigator had refused under the pretext that there was too great a risk he set the Sunny on fire.

Since the gunner had gone back to his workshop, the captain was dragging himself on the deck in the depths of despair.

"I'm gonna play cards with Chopper!" he decreed suddenly.

"You do that", Nami agreed, pointing precisely their direction with a slight change on the helm.

The straw hat boy disappeared in a flash before returning a few moments later, annoyed.

"Did you see the card game, Nami?" he asked her. "I can't find it!"

"Where was the last time you saw it?" the young woman sighed.

"Uh... In the hold! I put it in the hold!" Luffy cried out before trying to rush into it.

"No way you're going down there, there's some of our food supply!" her navigator stopped him.

"But... please!" the captain whined. "I'm bored..."

Nami gave him an exasperated look before surrendering.

"Okay, I'll get your damn card game!"

Ranting, she rushed down the flight of stairs that would lead her to the hold. What an idea to have put this thing in a place so inappropriate! Of course, there was no question of letting Luffy go to the food stock so she had to do it otherwise, she would hear him whine until tonight...

She abruptly opened the door of the room and fell on the most unexpected scene. Incredulous, she saw Sanji pinned against one of the walls by the crew's swordsman, their mouths tearing away from one another to the sound of the door. The blond's face became distraught as he saw her on the doorstep and she looked back at him, completely stunned. For his part, Zoro only turned his head in her direction, already cursing her for disturbing them without loosening his grip on the cook.

"Do you really think it's a place to do that?!"

On that note, she came out quickly and slammed the door behind her before shaking her head. Sanji could spend his time twirling around girls, after all, it didn't surprise her more than that. These two were constantly whaling on each other and there was a fine line between love and hate, so they say...

She walked up the stairs and nodded negatively to the captain who was waiting impatiently.

"You can go do fireworks with Ussop."

Luffy smiled radiantly and didn't even wonder why the navigator had so suddenly changed her mind. This one sighed and returned to the helm, shrugging her shoulders.

* * *

"Well, it's not our day", the swordsman noted after the door closed behind Nami. "Must be Monday..."

Against the wall, the cook slid to the floor, white as a sheet.

"What the fuck are you doing?" Zoro grumbled.

"Nothing. Give me a minute..."

The fencer rolled his eyes and Sanji finally got up before putting a semblance of order in his clothes.

"Franky and Brook have already seen us this morning, now it had to be Nami-san", he winced.

"Robin wasn't wrong", the swordsman noticed philosophically. "We should have locked."

"Shit, everyone knows!" the blond became alarmed.

"Not everyone but I grant you that's a lot of people all at once."

"I hope Nami-san isn't going to talk to us about it, I won't know what to say to her!"

"As if it's any of her business anyway", the swordsman muttered.

"We have to find a solution, marimo!" the cook suddenly said, annoyed. "We can't go on like this!"

"Okay but what are you suggesting, huh? Waiting for islands?"

"Yes! It would be safer", Sanji agreed with relief. "We'll wait for the next island!"

Zoro didn't add anything but he gave him a look that said a lot. As if they were going to hold out more than a few hours anyway...

* * *

Ussop watched as the swordsman slipped noiselessly into the kitchen late in the afternoon. It didn't look like Zoro to take precautions to sneak around, especially since Sanji was there too and that they probably wouldn't be long to throw the chairs in their faces for once.

The sniper shrugged and refocused on his fireworks mix. Luffy had cowardly abandoned him a little earlier to lend a hand to their musician who wanted to compose a ballad to the glory of the fishes in their aquarium and he still had a lot to do. His reserves were decreasing but he still had enough to make a nice collection of projectiles of all kinds.

After several minutes, he raised his head, smiling. His preparation was ready and he slid the carefully closed mixtures into his pocket. His gaze then went back to the kitchen door and he frowned. Sanji and Zoro were still in the room since he would have seen anyone go out, which wasn't the case. Even stranger, he was hearing no noise, no scream, no fight. It wasn't normal. And then he remembered that the swordsman had had a strange attitude on his way to the kitchen. As quiet as possible.

"Damn it!"

He jumped up and Chopper, not far from him, gave him a questioning look.

"What's going on, Ussop?" he asked.

The sniper stared at him anxiously.

"I think Zoro did a stupid thing..."

"What do you mean?" the little reindeer said, coming closer.

"He entered the kitchen where Sanji is and there's no noise since earlier. I'm afraid they killed each other!" he moaned.

"You think?" the doctor asked, frightened. "But we would have heard something!"

"He entered silently, he had to prepare a revenge or a trap!"

"Zoro would never do such a thing!" Chopper protested.

"There's only one way to find out", the gunner decided bravely. "Follow me!"

The two friends leaned against the kitchen door, watching for the slightest hint of noise, to no avail, and they exchanged worried glances. Then they tried to take a look through the porthole on the door but it was a fake window that didn't allow seeing anything.

"We have to go through the outside of the ship, there's another porthole", Ussop thought.

"Okay!"

At the level of the rail, the sniper and the reindeer looked at each other apprehensively. The next task was for them to walk along the hull on tiptoe while clinging to the tiny edge until reaching the side of the kitchen. Ussop took a deep breath and threw himself first, Chopper on his heels.

"Whatever you do, don't fall, Chopper", the gunner whispered, advancing slowly.

The doctor shook his head vigorously and continued walking, focused. His little hooves weren't as clever as hands but he wasn't lacking of skill. Finally reaching the galley, they watched the porthole a little higher above them.

"Climb on my shoulders, I'll raise us", Ussop suggested. "Don't make any noise!"

The reindeer jumped nimbly on his back and sat on his shoulders. The sniper then used the strength of his arms to climb up to sight.

"So, what do you see?"

"Ahhh!"

Chopper started back and Ussop almost lost his balance. Clinging to the edge to keep them from toppling over, he shook with fear.

"What's wrong?! What's wrong?!" he panicked. "There's blood everywhere, is that it? Sanji's dead?!"

"They... They..."

The gunner took a deep breath to calm down. Such a vision had a doctor as experienced as Chopper lost the ability to speak! The carnage must have been atrocious but he was the proud Captain Ussop, he couldn't turn back now!

He hoisted himself up again so he could look in his turn while Chopper was hiding his eyes under his little paws.

"What the..."

Ussop managed to keep his balance and left as quickly as possible in the opposite direction, legs like cotton wool. When they jumped back onto the deck, they exchanged a look filled with astonishment and terror.

"We shouldn't have done that", the sniper winced.

"We should never have", the little reindeer agreed guiltily.

The gunner ran a hand over his face, haggard.

"I'll never get those images out of my head, Chopper, I'm a trauma victim..."

"Don't say that", the doctor tempered. "It's our fault if we saw something. We should have left them alone..."

"You're right so we shouldn't talk about it anymore", his friend sighed. "It's none of our business..."

The reindeer nodded firmly and they left, determined to act as if nothing had happened.

* * *

"Did you hear somethin'?"

Sanji stopped for a moment the race of his tongue on the naked chest of the swordsman. The kitchen was quiet and he wasn't hearing anyone approaching the door but he had had the distinct impression to discern voices nearby.

"No..."

"I must be paranoid", the blond mumbled. "With all that happened today..."

"Not to mention the fact we didn't wait for the next island after all", Zoro pointed out to him, catching his breath.

"Yeah... We really lack of will..."

The fencer shook his head and attacked the cook's body who resumed his caresses on his own. The next island was still several days away and there had only been Sanji to believe they would have wait patiently until then.

* * *

The evening meal went as usual between shouting and laugher. To the greatest relief of the blond, Nami didn't look at him or say anything about what she had caught that afternoon and he was really grateful to her. However, Sanji soon noticed that their ship's doctor was out of sorts and he asked him to stay as their crew members were slipping away one by one. He liked the little reindeer and he wanted him to understand he was ready to listen to him when needed.

Still sitting at the table, Chopper was playing nervously with his little hooves while they were now alone.

"What's up with you?" the blond asked kindly, finishing clearing. "You didn't eat anything and-"

"I'm fine, leave me alone!" the little reindeer cried out, trying by all means not to meet his eyes.

"Okay, excuse me. I didn't want to rush you."

Sanji fumbled in a drawer before showing the contents to the doctor who couldn't help but take a curious look.

"Here, it should cheer you up."

"Th-Thank you."

The reindeer caught the lollipop before raising his head to the cook, red with shame.

"I'm sorry, Sanji", he stammered. "It's just that... I..."

"You know you can tell me everything", the chef encouraged him, taking out a cigarette.

Then, the doctor burst into tears, stunning his interlocutor.

"I'm s-sorry, S-Sanji... I-I didn't w-want to b-but... w-we've s-seen you w-with Zo-Zoro..."

Sanji set his cigarette on the table as serenely as possible. "We"? They were several? He sighed. So that was why the reindeer went spare... It didn't please him to see that their secret was really no longer one but Chopper seemed to feel even worse than him so he made an effort.

"It's okay, Chopper", he reassured him with a forced smile. "I'm just... a little surprised you know that."

The doctor sniffed.

"Ussop thought Zoro wanted to trap you because he noiselessly entered the galley... So... we just wanted to make sure everything was fine..."

So it was Ussop. The cook kept from laughing nervously. He had to remember this date to be careful about it in the future...

"I'm the one who's sorry, Chopper, you shouldn't have seen that... We should have been more discreet", he admitted uncomfortably.

The reindeer dried his eyes and gave him a small smile.

"I feel better to have told you", he confessed. "I wanted to pretend I didn't see anything to not annoy you but..."

"Never mind, don't worry about us."

Chopper jumped from his chair, his lollipop in hand. Before leaving the kitchen, he turned one last time to his crewmate, suddenly determined.

"You know, I'm a doctor and if you or Zoro need anything or any advice, I 'm-"

"Chopper, do you remember that desire you had to let us manage on our own?" the cook strongly cut him short.

The reindeer nodded.

"Above all, don't forget it."

The doctor got the message and finally left the room.

* * *

"We're in deep shit", Sanji mumbled.

The cook had found the swordsman in the brand new crow's nest and had informed him of his conversation with Chopper.

"I'll talk to Ussop to make him forget what he saw", the fencer decided.

"What's the point, no one doesn't know now!" the cook grumbled.

"Yeah but nobody knows that others know it too. If they are threatened, they won't dare to talk about it again."

The blond shook his head. Their crew had a lot of qualities but discretion wasn't their forte. Threaten them would be absolutely useless, he was sure of it.

"You're not gonna have your existential crisis again, huh?" the swordsman grumbled, glancing sullenly at the cook.

Sanji glared at him.

"It's gonna depend on your attitude, you moron. If you start believing that I'm not able to tell the difference between the eyes of others and my legitimate questions again, I tell everyone that it's you who begged me to start all of this!"

Zoro rolled his eyes.

"Luffy doesn't know, that's something", the swordsman went on.

"Well, it's almost a shame 'cause he's the only one who could have understood nothing!" the blond bitterly pointed out.

"Stop feeling sorry for yourself", the fencer got annoyed. "From now on, we'll be more careful and that's all."

At these words, Zoro came out of the crow's nest and Sanji let his eyes get lost beyond the windows in the nightfall.

He didn't like the turn of events. This was getting out of control.

* * *

"Ussop."

The gunner jumped at the sound of the swordsman's deep voice who had just entered his workshop.

"Huh... A problem, Zoro?" he asked, surprised to see him here.

"Yeah. You."

"M-Me? B-But what did I do?" he babbled, already terrified by the first mate's aura.

"You better forget what you saw this afternoon."

The sniper raised shy eyes to his crew member.

"I don't know what you're talking about", he tried awkwardly.

"Don't be smart. Chopper spat it out."

To support his claims, Zoro pulled one of his swords out of his sheath and Ussop uttered a little shriek.

"O-Okay! Don't get upset, I promise you I'll never say anything to anyone! I swear to you! Until my death and beyond, you've got my word!"

Satisfied, the swordsman put away his weapon.

"See, that wasn't so hard, was it?"

Totally terrorized, Ussop nodded stiffly and Zoro walked away from his workshop, confident.

Threatening always worked whatever the cook could think.

* * *

 _I had a lot of fun at the expense of our two heroes!_

 _I tried to imagine the reaction of each member of the crew according to their sensibilities and I hope it seemed realistic to you!_


	15. 100 percent thrill guarantee

_Thanks to yukino76 for your review._

 _Welcome aboard for the new readers._

 _Enjoy your reading._

* * *

 **Chapter 15**

 **100% thrill guarantee**

"Island in sight!" Brook exclaimed with delight two days later.

Immediately, the crew found themselves on deck, Luffy bursting with impatience at the front.

"It's a tourist island known for hiking on ancient volcanoes", Robin explained.

"Volcanoes?" Ussop worried. "These things are dangerous..."

"They are mostly all asleep for thousands of years but it is true that an eruption is generally unforeseeable", the archaeologist agreed.

The sniper turned pale and put a hand to his stomach with a grimace.

"Here I go again... A fit of "don't go on this island full of deadly volcanoes!""

"You can stay watching over the Sunny if you prefer", Nami suggested, indifferent.

The gunner thought about it for a second before straightening his head, determined.

"I am the Great Captain Ussop, despite the diseases and the danger, it is my duty to stay with my crew and-

"Look at this mountain!" Chopper interrupted him. "It's strange!"

They all followed the direction shown by the little reindeer and could indeed see a hill in the shape of a huge monster struggling against an invisible enemy.

"It's so cool!" Luffy said, getting enthusiastic.

"How did they manage to make a sculpture of this size?" the cook wondered.

"It's not a sculpture", Nami disabused him.

"What is it then?" Franky asked. "Yet it looks super similar!"

"Probably a real monster buried under the earth", she replied, shrugging her shoulders.

"H-How?" Brook stammered.

"The second phase of an eruption is the most destructive", Robin confirmed. "It gives rise to more or less dense flows of incandescent materials and gases along the sides of the volcano called glowing clouds or pyroclastic surge. It burns everything in its path. Living beings trying to flee are then found under a layer of ash mixed with gas that has entered the lungs and caused asphyxiation of the victim. Over time, the rock dusts solidify and they become like stone."

"So this monster was killed in the last eruption", Zoro concluded.

"Most certainly" the archaeologist agreed. "He is frozen for eternity."

Ussop could no longer stop his legs from shaking and he hid behind the swordsman who settled for remaining stoic.

"Maybe I'll keep the ship eventually..."

"Luffy, before you jump over the guardrail, I'd like to talk to you", the navigator stopped him when she noticed their captain was already stretching his elastic arms on the rail. "In the meantime, get ready to disembark", she told the others. "Sanji-kun, I let you in charge of the helm. Try to find us a quiet spot."

"You can count on me, Nami-san!"

* * *

Nami dragged the straw hat boy into her cabin. After he closed the door behind him, she grabbed her compass without thinking on her desk to keep her hands busy and glanced at the captain who was waiting for her explanations.

The navigator winced and decided to sit on her bed. It was rather rare that she ran out of words and she was usually never embarrassed to tackle any subject but now, she had to admit she didn't know how do to it.

"I wanted to talk to you about something", she spoke again. "Something important."

"Sure. What is it?"

Luffy stepped forward and sat down on Robin's bed, facing her. Nami sighed in front of his curious look. Of course, he had no idea what she wanted to say to him.

"We never talked again about what happened when we were on the island where this watermelon guy wanted to attack us. You know...when the both of us were on the ship that night."

The captain nodded and Nami was glad he understood so quickly.

"What we did at the time, when we... kissed. It's a bit peculiar and I wanted to know what you think about it today."

"What I think about it? Well..."

The straw hat boy seemed to think intensely about the question, which worried a little the navigator. So he had never thought about it again since all this time?

"I thought it was weird", he admitted. "At the same time, it was nice. As if you had found something that resonated with my stomach ache..."

Nami breathed inwardly.

"Do you still have... stomach ache?"

As well keep stretching this metaphor if it allowed him to understand faster...

"It's more or less strong depending on the moment but it's still there, why?"

"I just wanted to be sure."

The navigator took a deep breath and looked into Luffy's eyes. She didn't know exactly what she was going to embark on but adventures with her captain had always been successful so far. Why not try this one after all...

"I thought maybe, if you agree, we could do it again sometimes", she whispered, feeling a blush upon her cheeks. "It's possible that... I have a bit of a stomach ache too when I look at you."

"Really? So cool!"

Luffy gave her his broadest smile and she smiled back, pleased with his reaction. She was going to take advantage of their quiet time to talk a little more when Franky knocked on the door to tell they were going to be able to disembark. Luffy immediately went off and she didn't try to hold him back.

The straw hat boy probably didn't realize all that could be implied in this new relationship between them but the young redhead wasn't worried, she knew that each question would come bit by bit. Today was a start. A good start.

* * *

The island was pouring an impressive amount of tourists each year and in view of the pirate flag, the port guards had indicated to the crew a remote place to moor. They weren't refusing to welcome outlaws but they were also quick to warn the Navy in case of problems and their latent warning wasn't lost on them. The top priority of the local authorities was to maintain their attractiveness with the population of Grand Line who was providing their main income, which was including their security.

Nami paid the regulatory sum to keep their ship while grumbling and she quickly warned her friends to be careful with tourist traps because prices seemed excessively high to her.

The straw hat boy crew members headed towards downtown to get to know about the different possibilities of the island. They soon learned that the market was taking place every morning and that many excursions were offered. Charging time of the Log-Pose was going to be two days and the boys asked to sleep on the spot but the navigator refused in view of the price of the inns around. She promised them however that they would dine on the island that evening and that was enough to revive the enthusiasm.

They were quietly walking around the city when Franky stopped short in front of the shop of his dreams.

"Wow, I can't believe it!" he exclaimed. "Look at that!"

Everyone approached with curiosity and while some were laughing, others sighed.

"I absolutely need it!" the cyborg elated, rushing into the store.

His friends decided to wait for him outside but soon, the shipwright called to show them his finds and they met him with resignation.

"Wait, what are you doing?" Ussop flinched as he approached his friend. "Don't try these things!"

"Oh no and how I'm supposed to make a choice, huh?" Franky replied, admiring himself in a mirror. "What you think?" he then asked the others.

"That's kind of interesting", Brook commented. "It definitely changes your style."

"It's for disco parties!"

Sanji frowned and Zoro looked away, disgusted. Nami turned red.

"Buy some pants for a change, you pervert! Don't you see everyone is looking at you every time we go somewhere?!"

"So what? The looks I get from people don't affect me", the engineer replied, observing the effect of golden glitter on his underwear.

"Did you see that one, Franky?" his captain asked him, his eyes bright.

The cyborg turned to him and nodded.

"A little provocative but that might do it."

"Luffy", Ussop whined as he saw the cyborg catch the red and green polka-dot swimming trunks the straw hat boy was holding out to him.

The huge store was bursting with briefs, underpants, boxers, thongs and bathing suits of all kinds. Most seemed to be too small to be worn by children over 12 years of age but that was enough to make some people happy in view of the shipwright's joy.

"There are really all shapes and colors", Chopper noted, walking around the shelves with astonishment.

"We all might as well get a whole new wardrobe!" the musician exclaimed.

"If you think I'll ever wear something like that", Sanji winced, catching a blue boxer with red and gold stars with his fingertips.

"I confirm, it wouldn't suit you at all", the swordsman sneered as he was passing by.

"Just wait til I find one with the same color as your hair, cactus head!" the cook sharply replied.

"Hey! Look, guys!"

Luffy showed them a tiny fluorescent pink thong that made the audience shudders.

"Where does that go?" he asked, puzzled.

"Put that down!" Ussop pleaded.

"Oh, yeah, it's bold!" the cyborg said as he exited the fitting room and headed for them.

"Franky, don't even think about it", Sanji firmly threatened him.

"No, no, don't worry", the latter laughed. "By the way, how do you find this one?"

"For Christmas, it will be perfect", Brook pointed out.

"That's exactly what I thought!" Franky agreed. "Red and green, it's super for the holiday period."

"Let go, Luffy, we're leaving!" the navigator suddenly intervened, snatching the thong from his hands.

"Hey, don't go! I'm not done!" Franky said indignantly.

"We don't need to see you doing a fashion show in underwear!" the redhead fumed. "We already see you every day and that's enough, thank you!"

On that note, she pulled Luffy behind her and Ussop followed her with relief before Zoro, Chopper and Sanji followed suit.

"But I have to work my style, I need advice!" the shipwright said, offended. "Oh, Robin, what you think of that one?"

The young woman glanced at the piece of chick yellow cloth and shook her head.

"I prefer this one."

She pointed to a turquoise-blue underpants which was intensely reminding the hair color of the engineer before leaving the store with a smile on her face. Franky grabbed the piece of clothing, delighted.

"She has some taste, the little archaeologist. I'll have to bring her back next time."

He then went to try it while Brook was still examining clothes in search of the one that would suit him.

* * *

Outside, the cook was trying his luck.

"Nami-san, Robin-chan, don't you want to buy lingerie since the boys did it?! I could carry your bags!"

"You've got to be kidding me, there are only perverts in this crew", Nami grieved, punching him.

Robin chuckled while Chopper was examining the blond's head who didn't regain consciousness since he was imagining his princesses in nightie.

"There's an adventure tour!" the captain suddenly shouted, waving the booklet an advertising-man had just given him.

At that moment, Franky exited with his arms full of bags with the skeleton.

"An adventure tour?" the cyborg asked, interested.

"We'll climb a volcano and beat monsters!" Luffy showed him, drunk with joy.

"Are there really monsters here?" Zoro wondered. "It seems rather quiet..."

"In any case, the brochure guarantees a tour "100% thrill"', Robin read on the booklet.

"Adventure! Adventure! Adventure!" Luffy and Brook chanted, on fire.

"Well, go do your adventure", the navigator gave in. "We meet tonight on the Sunny."

"Great!" the straw hat boy cried out, running towards the volcano.

Brook and Franky decided to follow him while Chopper suggested to Zoro to go around the island with him and Ussop so he wouldn't get lost. After the swordsman had denied he could get lost in a place like this and everyone had sighed in front of his bad faith, they also went away. Nami then agreed to let Sanji accompany her and Robin to their shopping spree while reminding him that they wouldn't buy panties in his presence. Too happy to spend all his time alone with his two goddesses, the blond settled for covering them with compliments all the way.

* * *

Luffy was running like a madman, rushing past the tourist groups that climbed up quietly the green side of the volcano. Behind him, Franky and Brook had decided to not catch up with him and followed the flow of people in front of them.

"This landscape is absolutely enchanting", the skeleton appreciated.

"Yeah, that's nice. Too bad there are so many people. If there are really monsters, they'll run away with all that noise."

They continued their walk while talking about the shipwright's new purchases when an elastic head crashed into them.

"There's a cave!" the straw hat boy shouted. "The monster's in here!"

"A real monster?" Brook asked, frightened.

"He's huuuuge!" Luffy sang before heading off again.

"Don't worry, it's an attraction", Franky showed the skeleton. "They say on the booklet it's a reconstruction of the prehistoric era at the time of volcanoes' activity."

"Here I am reassured", the musician whispered.

When they arrived at the entrance of the cave, they followed obediently the arrows showing them the direction of the "hell monster". They soon saw below a gigantic platform, a reproduction of a beast as broad as high which seemed to sleep. The monster was mechanized and it snored and blew at regular intervals, scaring the youngest ones by muffled grunts in the darkness.

Luffy found them, a huge smile on his lips.

"He's big, this monster!"

He clang on to the security fence and stretched his neck to the fullest to see it more closely under the shocked look of people. Brook leaned a little closer to the fence too and jumped when the monster moved. At his side, a child stared at him and threatened to cry, obviously frightened by his skeletal appearance. Suddenly, the beast grunted and smoke rose from his mouth. Brook and the child screamed in terror and ran off.

For his part, Franky was wondering what circuits were used to move this huge machine. He had spotted the mechanisms of functioning for the limbs but because of the ambient darkness, he wasn't seeing the thinner ones used to move the jaws of the animal rhythmically.

Brook found him, out of breath, and urged him to leave. The cyborg went to look for the captain who had tucked his elastic head inside the mouth of the animal as he was about to roar and they followed dark corridors dug in the wall of the volcano towards the rest of the trip.

The path led to a vast open-air plain not far from the top of the dormant volcano where a multitude of animations on the volcanoes' functioning and the monsters that populated the island at the time of the eruptions were offered.

Brook approached a model reconstructing the island and its inhabitants and he pressed a button to simulate a volcanic eruption at the present time. A lava flow rushed down the slopes of the volcano and engulfed a large part of the houses while shouts of fear and terror were echoing above the model.

"It's creepy", the engineer commented at his side.

"Not very cheerful, indeed", the musician winced.

They walked away and met Luffy who was laughing while taking out the maximum of monsters with his laser pistol on a giant screen in front of him. At his side, many people were also struggling to get rid of the animals and looks were concentrated. Eventually, the captain shot down about fifty and he received a huge stuffed toy in the shape of a prehistoric monster as a reward. Overjoyed, he showed it to his friends who were learning on another model how terrestrial and underwater volcanic eruptions were created.

Luffy then bought a volcanic rock for Ussop as he was devouring a "volcano" ice cream that looked like a cone, running like a madman again through the long cave's corridors.

* * *

"Robin-chan, this blouse perfectly suits you!" the blonde exclaimed.

The archaeologist thanked him and he turned to Nami who was trying shoes.

"Nami-san, these court shoes enhance you beautifully!"

"You think? I feel like they're a bit tight", she grumbled.

"Do you want me to go get the shoe size above?" he inquired immediately.

"Yes, why not. And take the pair next door, the blue ones too."

"I'm on my way, Nami-san!"

Sanji flew to the concerned department and found the shoes in seconds. He went back to the navigator and showed her the box.

"No, definitely, it's not right!" Nami sighed after having tried the second pair. "It's a shame, I liked them a lot..."

"I saw a pair that looks like it but the base is more flared", the blond remembered. "Do you want me to take it for you?"

"Yes, it would be perfect, Sanji-kun", she replied with a smile.

The cook rushed back into the department and picked out two pairs of black pumps. He was going back to his princesses when a young woman called out to him.

"Excuse me, do you know where I can find sandals?" she asked. "I can't find them."

"Nothing easier, I'll show you!"

Sanji gallantly dragged the lady to the right department and she thanked him, delighted. The blond was about to leave when another woman called out to him, this time asking for the children's clothes' department. Unable to resist, he accompanied her through the store to show her where it was and he even suggested several styles for his seven-year-old boy. Other customers soon asked for his services and soon, Sanji was busy running from one department to another to satisfy their requests, overjoyed.

"Sanji, where are my court shoes?!" Nami exploded when she saw him pass for the third time in front of her without stopping.

"Oh, Nami-san, forgive me! Here are your shoes, my dove. I took two pairs, you tell me the one you prefer!"

The navigator snatched the boxes from his hands with bad mood while an umpteenth customer approached the blond.

"Excuse me, I'd like to know if you have any-"

"He's not working here so go get it yourself!" Nami barked, glaring at her.

The woman glared back at her before turning on her heels and walking away quickly. Grumbling, Nami took out of their boxes her new fittings. The navigator didn't care if the cook ran everywhere to satisfy the others' requests but when that prevented Sanji from serving her first, she couldn't tolerate it. She had even thought for a moment that the cook would stop being so much at her service after she caught him with Zoro but apparently, he wasn't this close of a paradox and she expected to enjoy it as much as usual. Or maybe more.

"Sanji-kun, could you get me the red boots at the entrance of the store? I'm afraid I wouldn't find my size quickly since they're reduced."

"Of course, my beauty! Do you need anything else?"

"Yes, I'm a little hungry. A waffle would be great."

"I'll get you that right now!"

The cook under the spell then turned to the second woman of his life.

"Robin-chan, have you found all you need?" he asked the beautiful archaeologist who was admiring the effect of her pants in a mirror.

"Yes but I would like to find a scarf to go with this outfit", she replied, showing him a light blue jacket.

"Don't move, I saw exactly what you need!"

Sanji left at a run again and Robin smiled lightly, re-examining herself in the mirror in front of her.

* * *

"Zoro, can't you follow the path?" the sniper sighed.

He was calling to order the swordsman for the third time when the coastal path was clear in front of them.

"Not my fault if it's not really marked", the concerned grumbled before turning 90 degrees to resume the correct route.

"Look, we see Sunny!" Chopper showed them excitedly.

"We're really high", Ussop noticed, adjusting his binoculars.

They continued to walk a good while. The coastal dirt road was pleasant and a forest bordered the other side, bringing them both the smell of the sea and those of the earth. They would regularly meet couples and families who were also walking or eating at the picnic tables. At last, they arrived at the monster frozen under ashes and Ussop couldn't help but turn pale a little.

"He was really huge", he winced.

"That's right, he's very impressive", Chopper agreed next to him.

Zoro sized it up before shrugging. Fighting against such a colossus could have been a fun distraction but the beast had been dead for thousands of years and therefore no longer interested him.

As Ussop and Chopper were talking about the monster's likely adventures, the fencer went to the forest side a few steps away to enjoy the shade of the trees. He then sat down against a trunk and closed his eyes.

When he awoke a good time later, he took a few steps back to the coast but found he was now in the middle of the forest. Puzzled and angry, he decided to go straight, sure to get somewhere at some point.

At the end of what seemed like an eternity, Zoro sighed heavily. Idiot trees that looked alike and blocked his view! He was about to slice them to have a clear vision when a girl about five years old pulled on his pants.

"What are you doing here all alone, are you lost?" she asked him innocently.

"Of course not!" the swordsman replied sharply. "I'm just walking around."

"Ah. A long-nosed guy and a raccoon are asking everyone if we saw a green haired man with three swords, I thought it was you", the girl apologized with an adorable smile. "Say, you didn't see him?"

Zoro winced.

"No, I didn't see him but could you tell me where these two people are?"

"Over there."

She pointed at a spot on the left and the swordsman smiled victoriously.

"Thank you."

He went to the specified point but the little girl called him back again.

"Hey, sir who's just walking around, you're going in the wrong direction!"

"What?" the fencer mumbled.

The little girl came up to him and shook her head kindly.

"I'll show you."

She grabbed his hand and made him turn around before heading to the coast with a sure step. Ashamed, Zoro decided to let himself be guided and he arrived on the road a few minutes later. Since he had been walking so long, he had gone round and round...

"Zoro, you're here!" Chopper cried out, leaping into his arms. "I was so scared!"

"There's no way to get lost in a place like this!" the sniper grieved to his side. "It's been hours we're looking for you!"

"I wasn't lost!" the swordsman growled, embarrassed.

"Thank you very much for having found him!" the reindeer told the little girl.

"He was just walking around", she replied with a big smile.

"Yeah, sure, he was just walking around", Ussop grumbled.

She waved them before meeting her parents a little further and they decided to go back to the Sunny since they had spent all their time looking for Zoro.

* * *

When the crew met on the ship at sunset, some told the others their day with more or less excitement or frustration.

"Zoro got lost and we searched for hours", Ussop explained with a sigh.

"No way! You got lost again, cactus head!" Sanji mocked him with a burst of laughter.

"I wasn't lost!" the swordsman defended himself with embarrassment. "I just took a nap and when I woke up, you were no longer here!"

"I'm telling you, it's a knee-high girl who brought him back", the gunner whispered to the blond who was shrieking with laughter.

"You're really funny, Zoro!" the captain guffawed, giving him a huge pat on the back.

"Your stuffed animal is beautiful, Luffy!" the little reindeer marveled at his side.

"Yes, it is!" he showed him proudly. "It's because I killed a lot of monsters on the volcano!"

"It's huge", the navigator noted. "It'll take a lot of place in your room, boys..."

"And you, ladies, have you found what you were looking for?" Brook asked, turning to the girls.

"Absolutely", Robin replied, showing him the dozen of bags Sanji was still carrying. "There was a lot of choice."

"We've been at it all day but we couldn't make the last department. If someone hadn't felt obliged to serve all the customers in the store, we could have done it", Nami grumbled, glancing badly at the blond.

"Your next reincarnation will be a dog", Zoro pointed out to the chief with a condescending smile.

"It's still better than decerebrate algae, pseudo swordsman!" the concerned immediately snapped angrily.

"Fuck, you take that back, shitty cook!" the fencer snarled, catching his swords.

"I take back nothing at all, lost child marimo!"

Around them, their friends sighed in unison. They had really hoped their link would calm the constant tension between them...

"Well, that's nice but we should eat!" the captain cried out, interrupting them cheerfully.

"It looks like some things will never change", Franky summed up as everyone was nodding around him.

* * *

 _A chapter less focused on our couples to have the opportunity to see the crew evolve despite all these changes. As you can see, our characters are true to themselves XD_


	16. Straight in the eye

_Welcome aboard for the new readers._

 _Enjoy your reading._

* * *

 **Chapter 16**

 **Straight in the eye**

The next morning, the crew parted ways to fill the Sunny's reserves. Sanji, Luffy and Ussop took care of the food, Chopper and Brook of the medical stock, Franky and Zoro of the cola and the girls went to visit the museums and exchange some treasures against berries. Nami also took the opportunity to buy a gift to her sister and after having dropped off her parcel with the address of her native village, she felt more relaxed.

At lunchtime, they met on the ship before going to eat outside. Luffy wasn't leaving his stuffed animal and had put it on the figurehead with him. He was showing Chopper how he had tied a thread with a hook on one of his legs so that it could fish with them.

"Pay attention to your stuffed animal, Luffy", Nami wheezed as she passed by. "It'll fall into the sea and I'm not the one who'll go get it!"

"Don't worry, I'm holding it! We're having too much fun with it!" he showed her, laughing.

"It's so soft!" Chopper gushed while stroking it.

"It's awesome!" his captain agreed.

"We'll be eating soon, you should find it some shelter while we'll be gone", the young woman suggested him with a calculating smile.

"We're gonna eat?! Great!"

He took the huge stuffed animal in his arms and ran to the boys' quarters to put it down.

"I advise you not to come in right now", Robin's voice suddenly sounded behind him.

Luffy turned around and glanced at the archaeologist who was reading quietly on her lounge chair a few steps away.

"Why? I need to put my stuffed animal away, we're gonna eat!"

"What's going on?" Nami asked, approaching with Chopper.

"The place is taken", her friend replied in a neutral manner.

The navigator raised her eyebrows before grasping the implication and rolling her eyes. At her side, the reindeer also understood and blushed in spite of himself.

"Luffy, you'll put your stuffed animal away later", Nami decided.

"But I'm hungry!" the captain got impatient. "I put it away and let's go!"

"Don't you dare go through that door until Robin gives you permission to do so, is that clear?" the navigator ordered him, threatening.

"But why?" he whimpered.

"Zoro and Sanji are busy, we must not disturb them", the archaeologist explained quietly.

"Oh. What are they doing?"

Nami bit her lip and Chopper blushed again.

"It's a private thing so don't bother them, that's all!" the young woman concluded irritably.

"Okay but they need to do it fast otherwise I'd go get them myself! I'm hungry!" he pouted.

"Let's go fishing with your stuffed animal while waiting", the little doctor kindly offered him.

The red-haired woman nodded with relief and Robin smiled as she was turning her page.

* * *

When the swordsman and the cook came out of the room a little later, they didn't miss Nami's exasperated glance and Robin's sweet smile in their direction. In front of their perplexed faces, Ussop pointed to his watch and Luffy who was running around the deck.

"Why didn't you warn us?" the blond wondered.

"We didn't want to bother you", Franky replied with a big conniving smile.

Sanji froze and felt himself blush in spite of himself.

"But we didn't do... that!" he protested, lowering his voice after understanding what he meant.

"Anyway, believe me, next time I won't bother", the navigator grumbled while walking towards the dock.

The cyborg winked at the two lovers before following her and the cook tried to retort to prove his good faith but he changed his mind. They had done nothing because they had ended up fighting after Zoro had sneakily pointed out to him he would prefer him as docile as in the presence of the girls. Of course, Sanji had become enraged and the languorous caresses had turned into kicks and blows. In fact, he didn't know if he was more inclined to have Nami catching them kissing or fighting because she would get furious in both cases. The blond sighed, definitely uncomfortable.

Getting him out of his thoughts, Luffy pounced before him.

"You finally came out!" he exclaimed. "It's about time, I'm hungry!"

He made off to the room to drop his stuffed animal and stormed out to jump on the dock.

"Let's eat!"

Sanji tried to ignore his torments by lighting a cigarette while the swordsman was walking quietly to the dock as if nothing had happened.

* * *

The crew had settled on the mountainside away from the tourist bustle. They were overlooking the coast not far from a ravine where the green sides of the volcano were greeting them for a lavish picnic. Sanji had made a multitude of dishes to satisfy the captain's appetite and the tastes of his friends and he arranged the food harmoniously on a huge tablecloth on the ground. Everyone then sat around and enjoyed the landscape while savoring his meal although Luffy engulfing his share loudly ruins a little the sweetness of the moment.

"This is the life", Ussop sighed as he dropped into the grass after finishing his plate.

Brook and Chopper agreed and imitated him. The wind was refreshing the skin, the sun was shining high and the birds were chirping cheerfully around them. The beautiful landscape and the peaceful atmosphere were favoring calm and relaxation.

"How about we do a rolling downhill contest?!" Luffy suddenly shouted, eyes sparkling with excitement.

"What is it?" his musician inquired.

"We climb at the top of the slope and we let ourselves roll down! The first to arrive can ask what he wants from others!"

"Are you sure it's a good idea to do that right after eating?" Ussop asked him.

"Whoever's sick gets a bonus point", Franky suggested.

"Awesome!" Luffy yelled, rushing to the top. "Hurry up!"

Franky followed the straw hat boy with a sure smile. He had a secret technique and was confident. Brook decided to join them, as did Ussop and Chopper, though more hesitant.

"You should go, too, marimo. You'd move instead of thickening by sleeping all the time", the cook scoffed.

"Speak for yourself", the swordsman grunted at his side, already dozing. "You got a paunch lately..."

The blond stopped and stared at him, dumbfounded.

"I'll have you know that I don't have an ounce of fat, bastard! Where have you seen that?!"

"I see you often enough butt-naked to notice", the swordsman sniggered.

Sanji felt his eyes widen and he nudged the fencer, pointing to the two girls who were chatting next to them.

"Shut up, you moron!" he hissed. "We're not alone!"

Zoro shrugged slightly.

"They already know. And you're the one who started it..."

He turned around and instantly sank into sleep while the blond was sighing.

He cleared the dishes and stored the remaining food to protect it from the sun. He then offered tea to Nami and Robin and sat in the grass not far from them.

He noticed that Luffy, Franky, Brook, Chopper and Ussop were positioning themselves to rush down the slope above. Lying at regular spaces, they soon dropped and inevitably began to shift towards each other. Brook collided with Luffy who pushed him back to speed and the poor skeleton ran off the road. Ussop and Chopper were letting themselves be carried by the ground and they already seemed to be about to throw up after a few meters. Despite this, they were laughing breathlessly.

Franky was literally gliding along the slope, perfectly in control of his trajectory. He had raised his arms above his head like a dancer and was rolling at a breathtaking speed. Seeing that victory was going to escape him, Luffy decided to do this the hard way.

"Gum-Gum Balloon!"

The captain's light and round body overtook the cyborg at full speed with a chuckle. Furious, Franky also launched an attack.

"Coup de vent!"

The gas accumulated in his body propelled him in front of the straw hat boy and he arrived first at the edge of the slope, stopping in a magnificent controlled skid. For his part, Luffy failed to brake and he flew to the ravine, thrown into the air. Fortunately, the captain stretched his long arms and clang on to the edge, landing with a laugh.

"That was a good move, Franky!"

"Thank you!"

"Aaaahhhhhh!"

The two friends turned around and saw Brook, body completely dislocated and moving in all directions according to the ground. The poor skeleton was taking each stone in the face, unable to stop.

"Help!"

He went past Franky and Luffy at top speed and took off over the void, screaming in the sky.

"Gum-Gum Finger Net!"

The captain caught hold of his friend in his intertwined fingers and then set him down on the ground beside him.

"Th-Thank you, Luffy-san", the skeleton said, his legs trembling. "I thought all my bones were going to break and that's the only thing I got left!"

Luffy laughed before looking for Ussop and Chopper.

"Where are they? They overtook us?!"

"No, they're here", Franky showed him.

Slowly coming down, the last two were laughing like madmen while regularly bumping into each other. Arrived in front of their friends, they tried to get up but nausea took them and they decided to lie down.

"Okay, so Chopper and Ussop have a bonus point 'cause they're sick but they came last", Luffy thought. "Franky, Brook and I finished the race but we don't have a bonus. It means you won, Franky!" he congratulated him with a big smile.

"Super!"

The cyborg started a rhythmic dance where he swirled and danced for a good minute before the wondering eyes of Brook and the straw hat boy.

"Oh, yeah!"

When at last he finished with a theatrical pose, his two friends applauded wildly.

"What are you going to ask?" Luffy inquired with curiosity.

"Um... I think I'll take you back to the panties shop. I want new ones and I need your opinion!"

"Great!" the captain and the skeleton cried out.

For their part, Ussop and Chopper exchanged a dejected glance before resting their heads on the ground again, too stunned.

* * *

The Sunny had sailed that evening and the crew had said goodbye to the tourist island. After spending the afternoon in the sun and in the grass, the cook had wanted to refresh himself to be presentable at dinner and he had jumped in the shower as soon as he could. His timing was tight but he didn't want to overlook his appearance.

A few minutes later, Sanji dried himself and fixed his hair in front of the mirror. His dish was about to finish simmering and he didn't have much time before he had to supervise the meal. He grabbed his clothes and was going to put them on when his gaze stopped on his belly in the reflection of the mirror. He examined himself involuntarily, turning in one direction then the other to better see. Finally, he ran his hand over his slightly drawn abs and smiled with satisfaction.

"Idiot, my body is perfectly sculpted."

He finished dressing quickly and walked out of the bathroom towards his kitchen.

* * *

The cook moved again on his chair, watching that Luffy didn't grab the dish for the fifth time. He pulled on his pants and took a more comfortable position before getting up to serve Chopper and Ussop. He then noticed that Nami was finishing his glass of water and he hastened to fill it again. Satisfied, he sat down again and found that he was once more uncomfortable. He stretched the edges of his shirt with a sigh and checked that his belt was straightened.

Since the beginning of the meal, he had the impression his clothes were keeping him too tight or they were in a wrong position. He hated not looking at his best in front of his princesses, especially when he had to serve them and this state annoyed him.

Finally, the meal was over and he cleared the table before doing the dishes. He was trying not to think about it but he was feeling undoubtedly trapped in his clothes since his shower. With annoyance, he wondered if Brook had wanted to do the laundry again and if his clothes had paid the price for it. It wouldn't be the first time the skeleton, trying to do the right thing, simply misses his goal despite his good will.

* * *

After storing his dishes, Sanji made his way to the boys' quarter and reviewed all his pants with a critical eye. He then put his shirts in front of him and examined them in their turn.

No, none of his clothes had shrunk, they were all exactly the same size. Perplexed, he looked at himself again in the mirror. Could it be that the marimo man was right and that he actually got fat? At this simple hypothesis, anger blazed in his eyes at this reflection.

"What the bleedin' hell?"

The swordsman was staring at the incredible amount of clothes spread all over the room, astounded. For his part, the cook clenched his teeth and began to collect his things.

"I want to get a new wardrobe", he retorted sharply.

"What for? You already have more clothes than a chick by the looks of it!" the fencer pointed out to him, amazed.

"Stop being so macho! I like being able to choose what I want every morning, that's all. What are you doing here anyway?"

The swordsman pointed to his swords in his left hand.

"I need to clean them, my things are in my closet."

"Wait a minute, I'm almost done and I don't want you to disturb what I did."

Zoro sighed and the cook decided to make two piles with the clothes he had scattered after their fitting. A pile for those he could continue to use and a pile for those he should push aside for a moment given the latest findings. Furiously, he then stacked the clothes in front of the fencer who was watching him.

"Does this story go on much longer?" he grumbled. "Take them all at once, it'll be faster!"

"I am sorting, you moron! Is the principle so complicated for you?!"

Zoro rolled his eyes. Sanji was particularly on edge. Was it the prospect of having to change his clothes that made that effect on him?

"Why are you getting so upset, shitty cook? It's not my fault if you need to clean up your closets!"

Sanji didn't reply and the swordsman leaned against the doorframe with a bored look, waiting for him to finish. As he was following the blond with his eyes mechanically, he suddenly saw him frown and crumple a shirt he flung into one of the piles.

"What are you doing?" he wondered, pointing at the garment with a chin gesture.

"I don't like it anymore."

"Really? You can't stop wearing it every time we go out though."

The cook froze. He never thought Zoro would notice such details. In fact, he still liked this shirt but he couldn't put it on now.

"Since when are you a fashion expert, Cactus-kun?" he snickered to hide his confusion. "Are you going to advise me now?"

The swordsman shrugged.

"I thought Nami's opinion mattered more than that to you but if you stop listening to this witch, it's for the best."

Sanji barely heard the insult towards his dear navigator. Nami had actually told him recently she liked this shirt because it was highlighting him. It was also since that date that the blond was wearing it regularly. And he couldn't do it anymore! He threw himself on the fabric and unwrinkled it with all his strength. He had to put it on again as soon as possible!

At his side, Zoro was taken aback by his incomprehensible behavior.

"What is wrong with you, swirly? You really look like out of it tonight..."

"Mind your own fucking swords, you stupid musclehead!" the chief barked. "I'm telling you I'm sorting!"

"On what basis? Cause for you to forget Nami's favorite shirt is not an easy job", the swordsman pointed out to him in a mocking tone.

Sanji felt himself blushing to the roots of his hair and the fencer smirked. The blond then felt his nerves crack.

"Shitty swordsman, it's all your fault!" he exploded.

Zoro lost his smile and frowned.

"My fault? You got some balls, cook! What do I have to do with your wacky storage crisis, huh? I don't give a fuck about your rags!"

"If you hadn't pointed out I got fat, I wouldn't have to do this fucking sort!" the cook continued, throwing his shirt furiously.

The swordsman stared at him for a second before bursting into laughter.

"Oh no, I can't believe it! You're sorting cos I said you got fat?!"

Sanji suddenly realized what he had admitted and his cheeks burned with shame.

"Shut up, stupid! It's not for you that I'm doing it, it's for me!"

Zoro repressed a new laugh and shook his head, amused. He then grabbed the crumpled shirt and waved it in front of the blond.

"Well, I'll leave then. I'll come back later, I certainly wouldn't want to disturb you..."

The swordsman left the room laughing more and Sanji caught his shirt he had thrown at him, red with anger. For his greatest misfortune, he was sincerely thinking he had never heard Zoro laugh so heartily since he knew him...

* * *

Zoro looked at the cook chew his cigarette angrily as he was watching the crew's meal the next morning. If it was possible, he was in a worse mood than the day before and the swordsman was certain the blond was brooding over their conversation. Everyone was chatting loudly around the table and the fencer decided to add to the ambient cacophony.

"You're not eating, cook. You're not hungry?"

The cook looked right into his eyes with surprise before perceiving the smile behind his question and his jaw tightened on his butt without answering him.

"It's true that you have to be careful but Chopper has told us enough breakfast is the most important mea-"

"Since when you're a morning person, cactus head?" Sanji cut him aggressively. "Mind your own business or you'll eat salad up to the next island!"

The smirk of the fencer stretched again but he sank back into his plate without replying. He had a golden opportunity to enrage the cook and he would never let him forget that he thought he had got fat after his remark. Zoro could only imagine with delight the blond's humiliation when he had realized the swordsman had made fun of him.

* * *

After a little training, the swordsman remembered he hadn't been able to take care of his swords the day before and he went to the boys' quarter to correct it.

He pushed the door and was surprised to find Sanji sorting his clothes again. He grabbed his equipment in silence and was going to make cutting remarks to him before coming out when he noticed the cook was still doing two piles with his clothes.

"What the hell are you doing, darts?" he inquired, puzzled.

"Get off me, shitty bastard!" Sanji snapped, glaring at him.

"Why do you keep putting your clothes away like that?" he pushed, frowning.

"You crazy or somethin'?! You doing this on purpose to fuck with me, is that it?!" the cook yelled, his fists clenched.

Zoro stared at him for a moment before realizing the real reason for the blond's anger, wide-eyed.

"Gee, you're stupider than I thought, cook", he noticed with a smirk.

"Get outta here, fucking moron or I swear I'll drown you", the other growled, ready to kick him.

The fencer thought for a while about what to do. A fight against the chef was definitely attractive and the idea that Sanji was driving himself nuts for something that didn't exist was too. But strangely, he didn't want to see him suffer needlessly either and seeing how he was, the blond had long lost his temper. Zoro shook his head.

"You didn't get fat, idiot. I said that to annoy you when you provoked me yesterday."

Sanji frowned before glancing at him.

"Don't try to confuse me, I noticed that some of my clothes don't fit me as well but I'm not going to take a long time to regain my form and when it does, I'll kick your arrogant marimo's ass even more than before!"

The swordsman rolled his eyes.

"That's amazing... You thought you got fat so you started making stories up in your head!"

"I don't make stories up in my head!" the blond persisted.

"You think I'd have fun disabusing you if that was really the case?" the fencer got impatient. "I shouldn't have said a thing and continue to enjoy the pathetic tortures you inflict on yourself!"

Zoro crossed his arms before carrying on.

"Anyway, that's so like you to make such a big thing about that, you must love suffering."

The cook wanted to answered back violently but the swordsman's disillusioned stare stopped him and he frowned again. He knew he had been the first to tease the swordsman on the subject but when Zoro had replied, he had felt particularly exposed when he usually didn't care about his remarks. And with all that thinking, he had begun to notice that he was feeling less comfortable in his clothes. Was all this only in his head? If that was the case, he would never get over feeling ridiculous in front of the swordsman...

"Come on, stop sulking, it makes me want to take you right here right now", the suave voice of the fencer facing him suddenly muttered.

Sanji shivered because of the hot breath that tickled his neck when Zoro grabbed him between his muscular arms to kiss him but despite the delicious sensation, the blond struggled.

"Let me go, damn marimo!"

"Calm down. Seriously, you want me to say? Your body is perfect", the swordsman whispered against his skin. "If only your head could look a little more like it..."

The cook tried to push him away again but Zoro pushed him firmly against the wall before pressing his lips against his. He then let his hand ride up under the chef's shirt, grazing his abs with his fingertips. Sanji felt his breathing quicken and he gradually stopped fighting.

"You really said that just to annoy me?" he finally dared to ask him.

"Really. If you had got fat, I'd say it. And if I didn't find you attractive, I wouldn't be here."

These words, stated in the simplest way, made the cook blush in spite of himself and he shrugged awkwardly between the kisses of his crewmate.

"Yeah but one can wonder... You're so weird. You're a seaweed after all..."

The swordsman smirked and increased his caresses on the belly of the blond who suppressed a new thrill under the action of warm and firm hands on his skin.

"What if I can prove you what I'm talking about, would you like it?" the fencer offered him with a predatory look.

"Maybe..."

"That's what I thought", the man sneered, sinking back to his mouth.

Sanji felt himself weaken a little more in the arms of the swordsman. He blamed himself for taking his remarks seriously but he also liked the way Zoro was trying to change his mind so...

* * *

"You're exaggerating, marimo", Sanji sighed breathlessly after a few minutes of fiery kisses. "Anyone could come in..."

"They all know anyway", the fencer muttered in the same state as he was nibbling the thin skin along his jaw.

"That's not a reason. This makes me uneasy..."

"Stop thinking."

Zoro took hold of his lips again, silencing the blond definitely. In any case, he had defended himself far too weakly to be really opposed to what they were doing.

The boys' quarter was quiet at this time of the day, everybody being busy with outdoor activities on the deck or in their workshops. There was practically no risk in exchanging a few kisses for another minute or two and the swordsman deepened his embrace, hugging the cook tightly against himself.

Just a minute...

"Hi, guys! What are you doing?"

The two men parted abruptly, blushing. It was only a minute!

"We are... Uh..."

Sanji searched for an explanation at full speed. Fortunately, it was Luffy and he was naive enough to buy almost any explanation. He was holding his huge stuffed toy against him and was looking at them with all the innocence he could, making him look a child a little bit more.

"Dispute settlement", the swordsman said.

"Yes", the blond confirmed with precipitation. "An umpteenth fight, you know us!"

"You're too funny", their captain laughed.

"If you say so", Zoro shrugged.

"But why are you kissing while you're fighting?" Luffy asked with curiosity.

The swordsman froze and the cook by his side dropped the cigarette he had just stuck into his teeth. A silence stretched for a moment between them as the straw hat boy was staring at them, still intrigued.

"I-It's... kind of... fighting technique. A new one", Zoro finally stammered, perfectly embarrassed.

"Awesome!" Luffy exclaimed. "Can I try?!"

The first mate of the crew felt himself turning pale while Sanji was taking a deep breath. He had to get around the obstacle in a subtle way so the captain wouldn't get any wrong ideas. Ideas that were sending shivers down his spine.

"Impossible", he answered firmly. "It's a special technique. It only works between Zoro and me."

"Oh? Why?" the straw hat boy inquired, disappointed.

"Because it only applies between certain people. You could do it with Nami for example."

"Wow! It's super cool!"

"Above all, don't forget to ask her for permission before," the cook became alarmed, imagining what the captain would do with such information. "And don't use this... technique in front of everyone, you understand?"

"No problem!" Luffy said, getting enthusiastic with his eyes bright with excitement. "I can't wait to try!"

"O-Okay", the blond mumbled, feeling his shaky explanation escapes him. "Just don't try it with anyone else..."

"Yeah, don't worry!" he reassured him, already darting out of the room after having chuck his stuffed toy out. "I let you train. See you later!"

Luffy flung himself out of the room and Sanji bit his lips. Let's hope that the captain had understood his recommendations and that Nami would know how to interpret his behavior that wouldn't fail to surprise her... At his side, Zoro shook his head, doubtful, before shrugging.

* * *

 _See how I'm starting to subtly slide their relationship into something more complex? Well, I try to be subtle..._

 _Feel free to give me your opinion, I'm interested!_


	17. In the open

_Welcome aboard for the new readers._

 _Enjoy your reading._

* * *

 **Chapter 17**

 **In the open**

"Nami, I have a new fighting technique to test!" Luffy exclaimed as he turned up at the library.

"So what?" the young woman sitting in front of her maps and measurements grumbled.

"So you agree I show it to you?" the captain asked her, remembering the advice of his cook.

"If it doesn't hurt the ship", the navigator nodded, drawing a line between two points on her map.

"No, I don't think so" he said after a time to think.

"Okay but-"

The young woman was cut short in her sentence when the straw hat boy lifted her from her chair before pressing her against him and throwing his lips violently against hers. In their tracks, the young woman's back crashed into a bookcase and she felt a sharp pain going through her spine. Gathering her wits, she pushed him away with all her strength.

"Damn it, Luffy!" she fumed, massaging her aching back. "What the hell are you doing?!"

"Well, I'm trying my technique", he sheepishly explained to her.

"Your technique? Where did you learn that?!"

"Zoro and Sanji showed it to me. They told me it was a new fighting technique and it'd only work with you!"

Nami stared at him for a second before rolling her eyes, noticing that Luffy had bitten her lip too.

"Those two", she grumbled.

"It's weird", the captain sighed, annoyed. "I don't see how it works..."

"Of course!" she replied, irritated. "This isn't a real fighting technique!"

"Really?! But they told me..."

"They told you that because you probably caught them in an embarrassing situation, Luffy! Use your head for once!"

"An embarrassing situation?" he repeated, amazed.

The navigator sighed.

"When you saw them, they were alone?"

"Yes."

"Dressed?"

"Yes."

"Glued to each other?"

"Yes."

"And they were kissing, is that it?"

"Yes, it's their new fighting technique!" the captain approved with a big smile. "You knew it?!"

"You idiot, don't you see they talked to you about technique while they were just kissing?" the young woman got impatient.

The captain frowned, lost.

"I don't get it."

Nami shook her head in despair before taking a deep breath.

"You remember when we kissed?"

"Yes, you were sad because of Nojiko!"

"Exactly", the young woman approved. "So we weren't fighting, do you agree?"

"You're right, it was rather... I had a stomach ache and then you kissed me and after, it was weird!"

"Here you go. Now you understand why they were kissing? It has nothing to do with a fight or at least, not the one you're thinking about."

"But that means Zoro and Sanji have a stomach ache?!" Luffy asked her, flabbergasted.

"I don't know", the navigator admitted, shrugging her shoulders. "It looks pretty complicated since they continue to fight despite everything so don't refer to them. Usually, lovers are kissing, that's all you need to remember."

"That's crazy!"

Nami watched him for a moment, touched. Luffy was still in shock and she gave him a few seconds to come to terms with all this information.

"Do you want me to show you the real technique?" she then asked him, a teasing smile on her lips.

The captain nodded vigorously, ready to try any experience available.

"I hope you still have a stomach ache."

Luffy didn't have time to answer her strange question because the navigator's lips had found his again but in a much softer and pleasant way. He forgot to worry about it and let himself be deliciously rocked by the sensation.

* * *

"Nami-san, I'm bringing you a slice of raspberry cake!"

The young woman looked up from her maps for a moment and took the small plate with a smile. It was past four o'clock and she was entitled to a break.

"Sanji-kun, that's good timing. I had to talk to you."

"What is it, my dove?" the cook hastened to ask her, pleased to be able to be useful to her.

"You and Zoro talked to Luffy about a new fighting technique he wanted to try on me. I'm curious to hear your explanations", she told him with a mocking smile.

The blond felt himself blush violently. The captain hadn't been long to test his discovery and of course, Nami had quickly understood what it was really about.

"It's... uh, I don't know what he understood exactly..."

Nami gave him a disillusioned look.

"Sanji-kun, don't make me believe you don't know what you told him. I know he saw you and Zoro."

The blond looked down. He was unable to lie to the navigator or even to pretend.

"He came in suddenly and... We didn't know what to say to him", he confessed, his cheeks red with embarrassment. "We couldn't just explain to him... It's Luffy..."

"I understand but it wouldn't happen if you didn't spend half of your time locking yourselves on this ship!" the young woman pointed out to him.

Sanji felt his cheeks burn more if it was possible.

"I'm sorry, Nami-san..."

The young woman firmly swept aside his apology with a wave of her hand.

"Still, Luffy took your lame explanation literally and I have a pretty good bruising on the back now", the redhead continued in a bad mood.

At these words, Sanji felt his eyes widen in terror.

"I insisted he had to ask for your opinion first!" he assured her, frightened. "Don't tell me he-"

"He asked me if he could test a new fighting technique. You understand my surprise then", the navigator grumbled.

The cook turned pale. He hadn't suggested to Luffy to assault Nami! On the contrary, he had asked him to take precautions but of course, he had interpreted the thing in his own way and his princess was hurt because of his stupidity in wanting to keep an open secret.

"I'm fine, I managed", the young woman sighed, seeing torment dancing in the eyes of her crewmate. "When he told me he had bumped into you and your new technique, I understood."

"Oh, Nami-san..."

"Given the situation, I had to explain to him what was going on between the two of you", the navigator went on with fatality. "And it wasn't easy... Anyway, we couldn't do as if nothing happened all our life, it was getting ridiculous to make him up pretences."

As the blond didn't answer, she continued, pointing her fork at the cook.

"Now that everyone knows, you have to find a solution because I'm tired of spending my time checking if I can go into a room if you know what I mean."

Sanji tensed in spite of himself. Nobody had seemed outraged by this relationship since he and Zoro had been discovered and the blond had been relieved before wondering why he seemed to be the one who was asking himself some questions about this new activity with the fencer.

He lowered his eyes again and the young redhead sighed in front of the embarrassment of her friend. She didn't intend to minimize things but her voice softens a little anyway.

"Look, Sanji-kun, don't get me wrong, I don't care what you do with Zoro but we need to be able to all use the Sunny without having the unpleasant surprise of finding the two of you going at it. You know what I mean?"

"Yes, of course. It's just that..."

The cook hesitated. He wanted to have the opinion of the navigator because he trusted her judgment but the subject was so sensitive...

Nami perceived his agitation and looked into his eyes.

"What's going on, Sanji-kun?" she asked more softly.

"Don't... you find that weird? I mean... with Zoro..."

The young woman shook her head.

"I don't have a problem with homosexuality and I'm sure it doesn't bother anyone here."

The blond started to blush.

"N-no, no! Th-That's not what I meant", he stuttered. "I wanted to talk about the fact that..."

Sanji took a deep breath to try to explain himself properly.

"With the marimo, we're used to fight all the time and... isn't it weird? To act like that... despite all?" he whispered anxiously.

The navigator shrugged.

"Don't ask me what you see in each other because really, I have no idea what it could be."

As the blond stared at her with a crestfallen look, Nami decided to support her thinking.

"You know, attractions can't be explained. Look, I just got into a relationship with Luffy and frankly, I wonder at least once an hour why I felt like it!"

Sanji couldn't help but smile, understanding his friend.

"As long as you don't hurt yourselves and you don't end up tearing down the ship, I guess it's the most important", she concluded.

The chef nodded and felt his breathing relax slightly, a little more serene.

"Thank you, Nami-san."

The young woman shook her head and the cook went away to leave his lady working.

* * *

Towards the end of the meal that night, Luffy got up with a smug look and sat down between Ussop and Zoro.

"So, both of you are so secretive!"

His two friends stared at him without understanding. Luffy had his huge smile on his face, very likely pleased. The captain then put one of his arms around his first mate while his other elastic hand brutally brought Sanji closer to him from the other end of the kitchen.

"I totally get it! Your technique and all, it's really great!"

All the crew's eyes turned on them and Luffy burst out laughing.

"You should have told me, I'd have understood!"

"What are you talking about? What is so great?" Franky wondered, puzzled.

"Yes, what's this technique? the little reindeer asked him with curiosity.

"It's a sort of close combat that only applies to some very close people", his captain proudly explained to him. "Nami told me everything!"

"No way", the swordsman grumbled between his teeth.

"What does that have to do with our two friends?" Brook said, pointing at Sanji and Zoro who were trying to get away from Luffy's grip.

"You don't know?!" the captain exclaimed, thrilled. "Zoro and Sanji have a stom-"

"Luffy, shut up!" the cook abruptly interrupted him by kicking him, crab red.

This one got up a second later, a huge bump on his head that he rubbed with his hand.

"Sorry, Sanji. I didn't know it was a secret..."

"What? You mean you only understood now they're together?" Ussop asked him, incredulous.

"Even I knew it", Chopper added.

"You weren't supposed to have lost your memories, you two?" the swordsman snarled as the sniper and the reindeer were crouching in their chairs, terrified.

"They are into the each other phase, they need intimacy", Brook quietly explained to the audience.

"Anyway, they showed me their technique and I even tested it with Nami!" Luffy got enthusiastic, having already moved on.

All the crew's looks immediately turned to the navigator, even more interested than by the previous revelations.

"Don't", the young woman grumbled. "Believe me, that was not what you're thinking about."

Robin gave an inquiring glance at Luffy who burst out laughing.

"At first, I asked her if she agreed and as she said yes, I kissed her on the mouth and she f-"

"Luffy!" the redhead chocked. "Don't tell that!"

"Why?" he inquired, puzzled.

"Because it's nobody's business!"

"But I just wanted to tell Robin that after, you kissed me again and it really was better, especially when you did this funny thing with your tongue!"

Nami turned pale and the crew around the table hesitated between laughing and running away. The navigator's anger was going to be explosive.

"Luffy, follow me", she suddenly ordered him in a toneless voice as she stood up.

"Where?" the captain asked.

"Outside."

"I'm not done eating!" he told her, annoyed.

"Very well. In any case, if you open your mouth again, you can say goodbye to using this technique with me for the rest of your life. I'm waiting for you in my cabin."

With those words, Nami left the table and slammed the kitchen door behind her.

Sanji hesitated to berate their captain when he saw that the young woman hadn't even finished eating because of his stupid intervention. He did nothing though, remembering that he and Zoro were at the origin of this misunderstanding and that he still felt guilty. For his part, the straw hat boy had seriously nodded in front of the cold eyes of his navigator. Even he felt that the redhead was angry despite her apparent calm and he swallowed his dessert as quietly as possible before making off to the door.

As soon as he was gone, conversations resumed slowly before finally recovering their usual sound level. They weren't worried about their captain. He was quite a tough nut.

* * *

Luffy entered Nami's room with his big smile he had found while crossing the deck. The navigator was waiting for him, arms crossed and a murderous look as a welcome gift.

"You can't pour out our privacy to the entire crew", she reproached him sharply as soon as he had walked in. "It's not done!"

"I just told the truth", the captain pleaded.

"That's not the point! What we're doing together is just between the two of us!"

"But why?" he asked, sincerely lost.

Nami ran a hand over her face. She hadn't lied to Sanji earlier, being involved in an intimate relationship with Luffy showed her every day how complicated everything was.

"Anything that has to do with me and your stomach ache is personal. No one can know about it. As for the rest of it, you can do whatever you want."

"Anything that has to do with you and my stomach ache", Luffy repeated, dubious.

The navigator suddenly dropped her hand on the desk, furious, and the captain jumped.

"I'm going to make a list for you, it'll be easier", she fumed. "Kissing: it's private. Telling what we both do when you're in my room: it's private. Eating your fucking leg of lamb: we don't care! Do you understand?!"

"Uh... I think so."

Luffy didn't dare telling her he wasn't sure he understood the principle. Nami had given him only three examples and he still had a lot of situation in mind but in front of her eyes glittering with fury, he preferred to avoid asking her questions.

"I'll be careful", he promised, his biggest smile on his face.

"You better be because my threat to stop everything if you don't know how to control yourself, I'd do it."

The straw hat boy lost some of his enthusiasm and he promised himself to ask someone for an explanation to not do something foolish. So far, his friends had given him the best advice and he liked this new activity with Nami. From his point of view, it would be a shame to lose it because he didn't quite understand what she wanted and that seemed so important to her.

Happy at the idea of having friends as great as his, he cheerfully left the room and wondered if he was going to suggest to Brook to sing him his song. He wanted to have fun tonight!

* * *

Sanji finally turned off the kitchen lamps and walked slowly to the door. The evening had normally resumed after Luffy's departure but everything had changed for him and the swordsman. The fact that they were closer was mentioned so naturally by the crew made him feel uncomfortable and he could easily imagine Zoro in the same state.

For his part, he felt confused. He had the impression that everyone was accepting the strange turn that had taken his relationship with Zoro and despite his own questions, it was rather pleasant. On the other hand, this state of mind was a new problem. As long as nobody talked about it, Zoro and he could pretend that it was still their private life and Sanji could push his thoughts into the background but with the intervention of their captain, it was almost as if their relationship had become official. Yet everything was just a game between them.

The gap between what they were showing and reality was quite obvious. Their friends were probably thinking they were now a couple when they were just enjoying a carnal relationship.

Sanji sighed. They had perhaps taken advantage of it enough and it was time to face the consequences.

* * *

The cook went through the bathroom to cool down and he took the opportunity to check that his clothes for the next day were dry. He was going to get to his bed when the object of his torments entered into the room in his turn. This one gazed at him for a moment, surprised.

"You look very pale, cook."

Sanji stared at him. That really was all he had to say to him tonight?

"Cause you're not confused?" he grinded teeth.

"By what?"

"Don't act like nothing had happened!"

Zoro sighed loudly.

"Is it because of Luffy that you're climbing the walls?"

"And all the others! Everyone knows!"

"So what?"

"So what?! You gotta be kiddin'! How can you stay so calm?!"

The blond began to pace while the swordsman watched him quietly.

"Everyone already knew it. Luffy just said it out loud", he reminded him.

"And you okay with this?" the cook exclaimed, incredulous. "I'm sure they all think we're in a relationship!"

Zoro shrugged.

"We just need to tell them we're not. I'll go tomorrow so they won't bug us with their stupid stories."

"No!" the blond cried, suddenly frantic. "I'm not... Don't do that!"

"Why?" the fencer growled, crossing his arms. "I don't want to hear their fucking remarks all the time!"

"I know but..."

Sanji anxiously looked for his pack of cigarettes in his pocket and stuck one in his mouth reflexively.

"It would be too... weird", he continued. "I'd rather they imagine what they want and if we don't confirm anything, they won't know exactly what's going on. I'm not worried about my image but telling them we're just... That we decided it's just..."

"A purely physical relationship?" the swordsman suggested, feeling the impatience coming in front of this interminable speech.

Sanji nodded while wincing, before finally sighing.

"It doesn't look like me... I'm not like that, enjoying a relationship based solely on sex and in general acceptance..."

The fencer got a little closer to him.

"You don't know what looks like you or not. Maybe it's the first time you do that kind of thing but it's also the first time you're attracted to a man, am I right? Who knows what it might change for you?"

The cook hung on to his words. It was so true. He was totally new to this and the fact that Zoro was a man was disturbing his quiet habits. What applied to women obviously didn't apply here. He just had to learn how to handle it differently. Nobody knew what was or wasn't their true relationship and the most important thing was to be honest with himself.

And in truth, he didn't want to stop. He wasn't tired of their little games yet and they were managing to live together without more damage than usual. It was therefore up to him to continue on the same path.

Zoro felt the blond relax a little and he realized once again how Sanji could get sick for small details that he himself didn't consider important enough to get into the equation of his life. What others were doing, what others were thinking, what he did before, what he would do later, he couldn't care less. It didn't even make sense to compare to what he himself had done before because he had never wanted a man longer than a few hours but he had never lived with one of them either. At the end, only the present was important for him. And tonight, he would love to enjoy the body in front of him.

He took a last step to be at the height of his crewmate and his movement shook the cook out of his torpor. This one probably read his desire in his eyes because he got rid of his cigarette, pressed himself against him and kissed him for a long time without moving another muscle. His immobility fueled the swordsman's desire who feverishly ran his hands all along his body before sliding them under their clothes to remove them as soon as possible. As the blond wasn't complaining - for once - Zoro took the opportunity to push him to the shower because the cold floor of the bathroom wasn't going to be suitable.

Sanji suddenly had a moment of clarity and he stretched to the door to lock it. As nothing could happen to them anymore, he let himself being pushed back to the hot water that dripped pleasantly on his shivering skin. Zoro threw himself on his lips but the cook's hands closed suddenly around his shoulders, stopping him in his movements.

"You won't say anything?"

The blond was insistently fixing his gaze on his and the swordsman sighed.

"It pisses me off..."

"Please."

Sanji wasn't used to begging and that simple phrase was his equivalent between them. Zoro hesitated and his uncertainty made him frown. Since when did he care to take his opinion into account?

"Okay", he finally muttered. "But if it goes too far, I'll clear things up, whether you like it or not."

The cook thanked him with a languorous kiss which left the fencer panting in the middle of dripping water drops before waking up his bestial instinct. Zoro suddenly felt a growing hunger for the body of this man in his arms and he wildly met his lips, his tongue completely invading his mouth.

In the middle of the kiss and the water, Sanji struggled for a moment to find enough air and keep up. Then he searched with his fingertips the hard manhood of the swordsman he was feeling against his own.

Zoro let him do a few moments but the arisen rubs only increased his urge and he violently turned him against the cold wall. He didn't want to wait, didn't want to be burdened with useless caresses or superfluous kisses, his internal temperature already at the top.

Yet he forced himself to stop for a second, giving the blond a chance to refuse what he was about to start. He was hearing his jerky breath and feeling the tension of his muscles under his fingers but as he didn't flinch, he greedily grabbed his back before flattened himself against it. He let his hands take possession of the body under his own without softness and his mouth stuck his teeth rather kisses on his wet skin. He felt the cook shudder under his treatment and felt a heightened pleasure at it. He almost wanted to mark his skin with ferocity and this surge of possessiveness surprised him.

However, he didn't dwell on it, consumed by desire. His fingers ruthlessly searched the intimacy of the blond in order to ease a minimum what would follow. The body against his own tensed but he didn't pay attention to it and continued his actions without slowing down. He knew Sanji could defend himself if he went too far and that allowed him to express his most brutal desires.

Soon, he thought the preparation had lasted long enough. The cook's muscles were still tight but his panting breath also indicated that the pleasure wasn't so far. With the same urgency, he suddenly penetrated him, leaving him just enough time to get used to his presence before increasing more and more his hips' movements against his own. Their skins were slipping and snapping in the middle of the water and Zoro appreciated the way their bodies seemed to perfectly answer each other.

The swordsman lost track of time, totally focused on the feelings this flexible body who was shuddering under his own was able to give him. Pleasure gathered in waves in his lower abdomen and he increased the speed again.

His pleasure washed too fast over him and was just as explosive as his desire had been. He then bit with delight into the cook's shoulder which in turn contracted around him in a muffled moan, filling him up.

With blurred vision and staggering legs, Sanji caught his breath against the wall that was generously supporting him. The cold was welcome on his skin and was allowing him to keep pace with reality. He could feel the swordsman putting his lips down his neck in the middle of the water that was still cascading around them.

He shuddered in spite of himself. Zoro could be wild and abrupt but he never forgot to make sure of his consent and his many kisses on his hot body were replacing his thanks now. Raw sex wasn't what he preferred because domination was at its peak but feeling the fencer in such a state of excitement thanks to his mere presence was something dizzying that wasn't lacking charm.

He finally turned to face him and the swordsman kept his embrace, a mischievous smile on his lips.

"I wouldn't blame you if you collapse, cook."

The latter straightened his back and fixed his mocking gaze in his.

"If it's your excuse because you're already tired, you should say so."

A flame flashed in the eyes of the swordsman, reflecting the one of his crewmate.

They weren't going to deprive themselves of that. Oh no, it wasn't even an option...

* * *

 _This chapter is rather dense, whether on the side of Nami and Luffy or about Zoro and Sanji. I still hope it was pretty clear and you enjoyed it. Thank you for reading anyway!_


	18. Wadô Ichimonji

_Thanks to BIGT707 for your review._

 _Enjoy your reading._

* * *

 **Chapter 18**

 **Wadô Ichimonji**

Two days later, the Sunny reached a small island with sparkling colors at dawn. Tree's leaves arrayed in the autumn' colors were reddening the landscape and basking the white walls of houses grouped together in a country village.

The welcoming atmosphere prompted the navigator to want to give a night on shore to her friends who screamed with joy.

"Remember, we must first redo our stocks", she reminded them, distributing a few bellies to each.

She sent Sanji, Brook and Zoro to fill the food reserves, Ussop and Franky those of cola, Luffy and Chopper those of drugs and herself with Robin in search of a nice hostel.

* * *

As the cries of joy were scattering through the streets of the city center, Ussop and Franky quickly found what they needed to fill the ship with cola. So they had time to wander around the city and quickly found a junk shop. Delighted to get their hands on pieces to tinker with new inventions, they both searched with excitement among the overflowing rows of metal pieces of all kinds.

Ussop triumphantly took out a spare part for his Kabuto and Franky several pieces of metal to repair the Shark Submerge that Nami was straining at every opportunity.

When they came out of the store a little later, they saw Luffy and Chopper figures a few tens of meters away and approached.

"That's not okay, they won't get away with it!"

The straw hat captain seemed furious. Facing him, two young boys, one brown and the other red, and a blonde girl were looking at him, sounding sorry.

"You know, we're used to it", the young woman sighed. "We'll get over it..."

"No way! You worked very hard for this machine, they have to give it back to you!" Luffy angrily insisted.

"What's happening?" the cyborg asked Chopper as they came up to them.

"A competition is set up in a few days between several inventor schools of the region. These people have been robbed by a group of the opposing school right in front of us and they won't be able to compete. Luffy tried to catch up with them but they were too fast", the doctor explained, saddened.

"It's an absolute scandal!" Ussop rebelled. "Where are these thieves, let us take back what doesn't belong to them!"

"Oh no, it's too dangerous!" one of the young men stopped him. "They're part of a gang and the whole village fears them. I even think their leader is a pirate!"

The sniper puffed him up in front of the group of panicked friends.

"Don't worry. As a Great Captain, my crewmates and I are travelling on the most dangerous seas in the world", he confidently recited. "Personally, I was raised by a group of sea monsters on Calm Belt then I initiated my crew to the sudden death attacks of these creatures on one shot!"

"Wow, amazing!" the redhead gushed.

"We're really lucky to have bumped into you!" his friend added.

"Ussop, I didn't know you grew up on Calm Belt!" Luffy got enthusiastic in his turn.

"You're amazing!" the little reindeer admired by his side.

As Ussop proudly continued to recite his role, Franky examined the cart that had been robbed behind them. Large black marks were visible on the paved road and a piece of metal had fallen, probably torn off during the theft. The machine seemed wide and its weight should be consistent with the use of a cart to carry it. The engineer then deduced that the thieves had certainly planned their move and had organized themselves accordingly. It showed their determination and they would have to be careful if they decided to attack them.

"Do you know where they're hiding?" he asked them afterwards.

"Their workshop is at the top of the village of the north hill", the young brown man told him.

"Perfect! In this case, we'll get your invention back!" Ussop exclaimed resolutely.

"How brave!" the girl marveled. "I never thought someone would ever make a stand against Stan's group, there are so many of them!"

"Many?" the gunner casually inquired, pretending to continue to re-enact an old epic battle.

"At least a dozen!" the redhead answered. "And some of them have eaten a devil fruit, they're really strong!"

"I can't wait to see you kicked their asses!" his friend approved with satisfaction. "You won't even need your crew because of your level!"

"Uh... Yes, yes, of course!"

Ussop carried on illustrating his titanic fights a little more rigidly but he kept smiling. Especially since Luffy and Chopper were glorifying his initiative by encouraging him with loud cries and applause.

* * *

"And I will save these young people by returning to them their machine stolen by these infamous scoundrels this very afternoon!"

Ussop was telling the rest of the crew about their encounter this morning with theatrical poses and moving statements.

"What an incredible magnanimity!" Brook marveled.

"And he told them he was going to beat them alone!" Chopper rhapsodized at his side. "You're so strong, Ussop!"

"Eh-eh!"

"Really? All alone against ten people including several possessors of devil fruit?" the swordsman inquired, surprised.

"Of course, buddy!" the sniper exclaimed, wrapping his arm around the fencer's shoulders. "But I see you'd like to take advantage of my experience so I allow you to accompany me in my noble enterprise!"

"What? But I've nev-"

"And you, my brave Luffy, I know the lack of exercise can be harmful for your body so I'm ready to let you come for your own health!" the gunner continued as if granting him the greatest privilege.

"Awesome! Thank you, Ussop, you're too nice!" his captain cried out, delighted.

"As for you, my dear friends", he said, turning to Brook and Chopper, "you can meet us but I would ask you to use caution because I could not always protect you..."

"Don't worry, Ussop, we'll be careful!" the little reindeer solemnly promised as the skeleton was nodding.

Ussop, Chopper, Brook and Luffy then began to talk cheerfully about their next adventure while Zoro moved closer to the others, refusing to take part in this burst of useless joy.

"Well, now that our coward by trade has built up his personal army, can we get down to business?" Nami asked the rest of the group.

"What's going on?" Franky asked her.

"We found a hostel with Robin, it's also the only one in the village. The problem is we have no more cash and the trading bank is on the other side of the island."

"Do you want me to go with you down there, Nami san?" Sanji offered hopefully.

"Actually, I was wondering if you could go both, boys", the redhead said, pointing out at the carpenter and the cook. "I'm really tired and I think I'm getting sick. Winds on this island are swirling and drafts are everywhere..."

"Don't worry, Nami-san, we'll take care of the bank and you'll be able to rest!" the blond decided immediately.

The navigator thanked him with a smile. She had two invitations for the city spa and she was looking forward to enjoy this afternoon with Robin to stay warm.

"It's really nice of you, Sanji-kun but there's still a little problem..."

"What is it, my dove?" the cook exclaimed.

"We have to reserve rooms and as we don't have money, the owner doesn't want to guarantee them and there's a risk that there won't be any left tonight..."

The young woman sighed.

"I managed to negotiate but we'd better hurry back to see him. We'd need to leave him a valuable item on deposit until we get back with money", she explained.

"A valuable item? Like what?" the cyborg inquired.

"I suggested Zoro's swords and it seemed to suit him", she replied with a shrug.

Getting over his initial surprise, the fencer glared at her.

"Wait, are you serious?! That's not gonna happen, you witch!"

"Watch your mouth when you talk to a lady, you rude!" Sanji threatened him.

"I don't give a fuck, nobody touches my swords!" Zoro snarled, tightening his hold on them. "And why not give one of our treasures on deposit, anyway? It's just as valuable!"

Nami clenched her teeth. She didn't want to take the risk of being ripped off of any hard-earned berry. She then went over to the second part of her plan.

"We're really very short on money, I think we'll unfortunately need to exchange all that's left against bellies", she said, exaggeratedly miserable.

"Marimo, give us one of your swords, you're not gonna die about it!" the cook ordered him, turning to him.

"Think again! There's no way my swords will be used for a common deposit for a fucking hostel!" the fencer inveighed, eager to fight.

"What if we used the Shark Submerge?" Robin intervened in her soft voice. "It is massive enough to make it difficult to disappear and it is indisputably of great value."

All turned to Franky who eventually shrugged.

"That's fine with me. Anyway, he's out of service right now."

"In this case, you'll leave it at the hostel on the way and I'll give you a list of prices that you'll ask at the exchange bank", Nami decreed, satisfied with the turn of events.

The tension dropped and his friends nodded. Quickly then, the crew parted ways to fulfill their respective missions.

* * *

"Lead Star!"

Ussop lay flat on the ground in the bushes as soon as his salvo was fired. The thieves' group was ruthless and three of them actually owned a devil fruit. He glanced at Chopper and Brook in the background who were reassuring the three young people of the morning about the sniper's condition. He forced himself to straighten up to put on a brave face but a huge rock thrown in his direction nearly hit him. With a strangled cry, he fell back to the shelter of the bushes and took big breathing in to analyze the situation.

Ussop was in charge of the fight against the five thieves armed with catapults since he had offered the others to stay away. Unfortunately, all had eagerly accepted and were encouraging him from afar. As he had sent Zoro and Luffy to take care of the other five - including the three devil fruit users - he was left alone, totally scared. His friends seemed to be doing well judging by the blades' noise and the gum-gum of the rubber man so he had to hurry to get rid of his enemies not to lose face.

He glanced through the leaves to gauge the position of his opponents and focused. They were all more or less grouped together and they were protecting the machine they had stolen in the barn of their lair behind them.

Ussop was literally scared to death. These guys had created formidable inventions. One was throwing pieces of rock as large as one table and another one was cutting the wood at lightning speed before throwing them in the form of giant sharp pencils. He had already been close to death twice: when a gigantic stone had landed two centimeters away from him and when a pencil had stuck into his bag rather than his back.

The gunner adjusted his glasses, trembling. He was going to use a concealment technique, pretending to be hurt and so draw Zoro or Luffy's attention to come to help him. Even if it wasn't glorious, he didn't see how to get by otherwise.

"Smoke Star!"

A thick smoke immediately enveloped the group which began to cough. Ussop took advantage of the decline in visibility to melt into smoke and remain hidden from the eyes of his crewmates. He was going to take a ketchup bomb out of his bag to simulate an injury when one of Luffy's opponents flew in front of him in the direction of a barn pillar that maintained the courtyard sheltering the team of smoky thieves. Under the force of the impact, the man lost consciousness and the wood cracked.

Ussop froze. He had just had the best idea.

"Triple Exploding Star!"

The missiles ricocheted against the weakened pillar which cracked before breaking into a sinister sound. In the midst of the smoke, the thieves noticed only too late that the roof of the courtyard was collapsing and they got buried under the pieces of wood without having time to escape.

The gunner jumped for joy and turned to his friends with a triumphant look but they were staring at the building with horror without giving him any interest. Puzzled, he turned to follow their looks and screamed.

"Aaahhhh! Fire!"

Obviously, his explosive balls had set fire to wood and dry leaves that covered the island and the barn was going up in flames while the machine was still inside.

"What did you do, Ussop?" the swordsman who had come closer after getting rid of his enemies grumbled.

"I didn't plan on having the explosive balls cause that effect!" his friend bawled, on the verge of hysteria. "Do something!"

Zoro rolled his eyes and positioned himself.

"Two Sword Style. Hawk Wave!"

The combination created two parallel air gaps the swordsman hit successively in all directions. The breath spread in an instant to the barn and the air power blew the flames at once. However, the building took this new attack by cracking a little more.

The three young friends as well as Chopper and Brook then ran to Ussop and Zoro and they all rushed to get the machine out before the barn collapse for good. For his part, Luffy freed the five unconscious bodies from the courtyard's remains to set them down next to the rest of the band also knocked out by him and the swordsman. As his friends finished breathing again after having freed the invention, he walked to them before smiling excessively.

"How about we eat to celebrate?!"

Behind them, the barn crashed down in a loud creak.

* * *

"You're not sleeping, cook?" the fencer noticed when he saw Sanji lean back against the tree in front of him.

"I fuckin' can't stand it! Ussop keeps on telling his prowess, Brook encourages him by singing and Chopper applauds them with stars in his eyes! On top of that, they don't allow smoking in their shitty hostel!"

A smile stretched Zoro's lips. The victory of the straw hat boy and their new friends on the thieves' clan had unleashed passions all night long and the crew hadn't heard the last of the huge success of the proud Captain Ussop. Even if they had finally returned to their rooms, excitement wasn't falling back and the hard cash Sanji and Franky had brought back weren't enough to calm down the inn keeper who had already threatened to kick them out several times.

"What about you? Don't tell me you got a problem with sleeping", the blond spoke again, lighting his cigarette.

"I had to take care of my swords and I just wanted to be alone. Luffy kept jumping all over the mattresses, I could never sleep anyway."

"Never figured it'd stop you given the few naps you had today", the cook pointed out with a mocking smile.

The swordsman shrugged.

"I rather enjoy being under the stars."

"That's a new one. I've known you less enthusiastic at the idea of keeping your eyes open after certain activities", the chef remembered, giving him a look full of innuendo.

Zoro gave him a predatory smile in return and the blond took a deep breath before releasing his breath at the same time as the smoke from his cigarette. Finally...

"Speaking of which, don't you wanna..."

Sanji glanced questioningly at the green-haired man who was already putting his swords down next to him. In a split second, he understood the intentions of his crewmate and stopped him by stretching his long leg as he was about to pounce on him.

"Do you mind, Cactus-kun? I need this cigarette."

Held back by the chief's foot, Zoro scowled.

"Fucking addict", he replied in a bad mood.

"Come on. You're not so eager, are you?"

The fencer grudgingly sat back on the ground and finished cleaning his swords in the light of the moon. His fight hadn't been very complicated but he rather make sure of their perfect integrity and he carefully examined them, caressing their edges with the fingertips and polishing the surface from every angle.

"You're totally sensual with your swords, marimo", Sanji suddenly pointed out, watching him for several minutes.

"What are you talking about?" the swordsman muttered, immediately on the defensive.

"Chill out. I mean you take care of it and your little focused look makes you fucking sexy, if you must know."

"Sexy?" the fencer repeated with his hunting predator smile.

"Yeah. I can tell you care about it like the apple of your eye. By the way, it's incredible you're able to show so much gentleness with it. Yet, it's not for lack of asking you..."

"You're so fragile", Zoro slyly replied.

"Idiot. Treating objects better than human beings is creepy, you know."

Finally, Sanji finished a new cigarette and got closer. He grabbed randomly one of the swords to examine it and turned it in front of his eyes to observe it. He was wondering what his precious swords were giving to the swordsman to make him behave like a bloodthirsty killer as soon as it was suggested to take them off of him for five minutes.

The cook didn't miss the swordsman tension at his gesture but he continued his observation as if nothing had happened and he opened the sheath.

"Relax, I won't damage it."

"It's not that. The Sandai Kitetsu is cursed. It's famous for causing its owner death."

Sanji froze before carefully put it back down.

"And you're keeping it?" he asked, sighing.

"I tested it and it didn't touch me, I took it for a sign. It's still a blade of superior quality."

The blond rolled his eyes. The marimo really liked taking unnecessary risks.

"Which one is it?" he asked, pointing to a white sword.

"The Wadô Ichimonji."

Zoro handed it to him so he could look at it more closely. The handle was pure white and the hilt wide and circular. Sanji had already noticed Zoro's particular care for it and he glanced at the fencer to ask permission to remove the katana from its sheath. He accepted with an imperceptible head movement and the blond gently slid the sword in the open air.

The blade was bright, like new, and Sanji watched the perfect sharpness of the cutting edge without daring to put his finger on it. Zoro's swords were sacred to him and he had already been lucky when catching the first one without the swordsman permission. In addition, he didn't want to take the risk of cutting himself and damaging his hands.

"It looks... solid."

The fencer looked down at him with a superior air.

"It's one of the twenty-one O Wazamono, among the best swords in the world."

"No less."

"It's an extremely powerful and resistant blade.

"That's the one you always put in your mouth, isn't it?"

The swordsman nodded, surprised Sanji had noticed.

"It was the only one which stood up to my first encounter with Hawk Eyes."

"Oh yes, I remember. It's also where we met when you turned up at the Baratie."

"It belonged to Kuina."

The cook stopped his observation of the katana and looked up. Zoro never talked about his past and his swords were probably one of the most personal topics for him. He suddenly burst out of curiosity at the thought of knowing more about this man who fascinated him without wanting to admit it.

"Kuina?"

"Yeah. It was in her father's dojo that I grew up. She wasn't much older than me but she always beat me with swords."

"Seriously? You got knocked out for years by a girl?" Sanji wondered with a mocking tone.

"The Wadô Ichimonji belonged to her, you really think she wasn't competent?!"

"Calm down, I was just joking."

The swordsman rolled his eyes and continued.

"We were training every day. I only lived for our fights but she was always the strongest. On the night of her two-thousand-and-one victory, we swore one of us would one day be the best swordsman in the world. And then she died and her father entrusted the Wadô to me at my request."

Sanji held his breath in front of the dark glare of the fencer at his side. This simple sentence seemed to contain alone all his loneliness and determination.

"How did it happen?" he softly asked.

"A fall down the stairs."

There was nothing to say. Such a banal, unexpected death was maybe even more painful and surely more dishonorable than if she had died fighting and Sanji just kept silent as he watched the blade he still held. Finally, he wanted to break the gloom that was overcoming them both and he returned it to its owner.

"What about the other sword?"

"Shusui is also an O Wazamono sword. It's my most powerful blade, I can't control it completely yet."

The cook grabbed it and turned it over to observe it.

"That's the one you got at Thriller Bark from that zombie samurai who had Brook's shadow?"

Zoro nodded.

"Ryuma was a legendary samurai from the Wano Country. He controlled his blade perfectly. His fencer's soul was still untouched despite his transformation."

"It's black", Sanji noted.

"Shusui is the clear autumn water. It's extremely resistant and the national treasure of the Wano Country."

"And he gave it to you?" the blond wondered.

The swordsman nodded with pride.

"When a fencer is beaten, it is fair to give his blade to the winner. Ryuma knew he was going to die and he wanted Shusui to find a new worthy swordsman."

The cook examined again the sword for a moment with curiosity before slowly put it down and lighting a new cigarette. The atmosphere was no longer about flirting or even fighting and he took advantage of just being quietly sitting with the swordsman.

From the corner of his eye, he observed Zoro who seemed lost in the contemplation of the Wadô. This episode of his life seemed to be a keystone in his story and Sanji was slowly assimilating everything it could contain. Kuina seemed to be the central mainstay of the swordsman's wish for his goal and the cook regretted not being able to meet her, if only to admire the woman who had managed to take him down so many times. For sure, he would have loved to worship her in the same way as Nami and Robin and he hoped to have the opportunity one day to learn more about her.

Finally, he got up and stretched.

"I'm going back to bed. With any luck, they'll all be asleep by now."

"Okay."

The blond shrugged but a tiny regret ran through him and he dared to admit he would have preferred Zoro to meet him or try to spend again a few moments with him. As he closed the door of the hostel behind him, he saw that the swordsman was examining his blades once more and he looked away quickly.

* * *

 _The scene between Zoro and Sanji is one of the first I wrote for this story. I think characters determination for their dreams is a great way to create bonds between them._

 _Hope you liked it and since it's November 11th, a happy birthday to our favorite swordsman!_


	19. A bit of privacy

_Welcome aboard for the new readers.  
Enjoy your reading._

* * *

 **Chapter 19**

 **A bit of privacy**

The next morning, the crew took advantage of the breakfast served at the inn by the fireplace. Luffy took on the restaurant's stocks with his usual appetite and Nami had to stop him when the owner warned them that he would increase the bill accordingly.

Shortly after, everyone was out to enjoy the last hours on the island before the Log-Pose finished recharging. The leaves were rustling in the morning wind and covering the ground with a thick crunchy carpet. A clear sun was rising in the sky and the invigorating air of the open sea completely awakened them.

They arrived in a wooded park overlooking the village and Chopper, who was feeling particularly cheerful in this enchanting landscape, suddenly fell into a pile of leaves, laughing. Immediately, Luffy met him and Brook, Ussop, Franky and Sanji soon followed. The huge heaps of autumnal island leaves welcomed them in the form of soft mattresses and they had a field day, laughing like children.

Nami watched them for a moment, smiling, but she quickly grabbed her handkerchief to sneeze. The island's climate didn't suit her and despite the beauty of the landscape, she was eager to leave.

"Do you think if we go back to the spa, we'll have a chance to go in?" she asked Robin, her eyes watering.

The two friends hadn't been able to enjoy their tickets given for the city's spa the day before. The owners were overwhelmed by their free trial offer and the young women had given up because of the number of people crowding the place.

"I'm not sure", the archaeologist answered. "They were full until the end of the week. There could be as many people there as yesterday."

"That's true", her friend sighed, sneezing again. "But I must find a warm place until we leave..."

"I noticed a little book and coffee shop on the town square. We should be safe and quiet there."

"Sounds good", the navigator agreed. "If there's no noise, my headache won't increase."

The girls informed Zoro of their intentions before leaving for the village while the swordsman decided to sit against a tree with his swords set down near him. The rest of the crew was continuing to jump happily into the swirling leaves and he took the opportunity to rest by closing his eyes.

* * *

Suddenly, he heard muffled footsteps coming in his direction and he opened an eye, on the alert.

"Above all, do not move, marimo."

Zoro frowned but kept still. The cook was coming towards him with an outsized smile. It wasn't normal.

"Come here, my dear, come see Sanji!"

This time, the fencer cringed and he straightened up.

"The hell? What's wrong with you, idiot?!"

Then he saw a ball of fluff bristle at his side and he turned his head. A big gray and white long-haired cat was sitting next to him, watching him warily. A few steps away, Sanji got angry.

"I told you not to move, you moron! You'll make him run away!"

Zoro dropped back against the trunk, relieved.

"Come here, baby, come on."

The cat seemed to examine the cook with interest but he didn't take a step in his direction despite his pleas and his hand held out to him.

"Don't stay close to this cactus head, he'll be able to crush you by falling asleep."

The fencer glared at him and Sanji ignored him, fully focused on the cat. He took a step towards him and squatted but the animal shivered and he stopped. He finally sat down and continued to call him softly to reassure him.

"Why don't you leave him alone? Can't you see you scare him?" the swordsman pointed him out after a few unsuccessful minutes.

"Cat is a fearful animal, marimo. You need patience, that's all."

The blond reached out his hand again. He had managed to advance a few centimeters since earlier but the cat growled at his approach and stepped back.

"He doesn't like you", Zoro snickered.

"Bullshit! All cats adore me!"

Sanji didn't want to be discouraged but the animal suddenly started to rub against the fencer's arm at his side who raised his eyebrows, as surprised as he was.

"Oh, no! Don't go near him, he'll infect you with his soggy brain!" the blond warned him.

Zoro calmly raised his opposite hand and stroked with his fingertips the back of the animal that agreed to let him do. The swordsman looked up at the cook insolently.

"He doesn't like you", he repeated, satisfied.

"You're going to make him dumb through contact with you, you moron", Sanji grinded in a bad mood.

The cat, however, seemed to enjoy the fencer's strokes and he moved closer to him to climb onto his lap. Zoro then scratched his neck and the animal began to purr. For his part, Sanji was disappointed. He was about to give up when the swordsman looked up at him.

"Come here, cook. Slowly."

The chief hesitated before obeying. He had always loved cats and if the opportunity arose, he was planning on taking one to the Sunny. This one was beautiful with his long winter coat and he had wanted to adopt it immediately.

He moved slowly while remaining seated so as not to frighten the little animal that was enjoying the attentions of the swordsman. Arrived at his side, he gently moved forward his hand and after a few more seconds, the cat finally allowed him to be touched. He then rubbed his head against the blond's hand and his purr doubled.

Sanji glanced excitedly at the swordsman who smiled at his enthusiasm as he let him enjoy it. At last, he stopped his own caresses and quickly, the animal slipped into the arms of the cook whose eyes sparkled.

He then leaned against the tree trunk alongside Zoro and let his fingers slide with delight into the soft fur. After long minutes of caresses, the cat ends up rolling in a ball against him and closing his eyes.

Sanji was literally over the moon until Luffy turned up in front of him, hair full of leaves and his hat hanging over his shoulders.

"You have a cat, Sanji?! He's too handsome! Can I touch him?!"

"No way", the man firmly replied. "He's sleeping."

"Oh."

The captain sat down in front of him, obviously waiting to observe more the animal. After a few seconds, no longer holding it, he brought his elastic hand closer to the small body curled up against his cook.

Sanji glared at him but remained motionless as his hands held the cat against him and he didn't' want to risk moving and waking him up. So it was the swordsman who distracted Luffy's attention.

"What if you looked for a toy? He'll want to move after his nap."

The captain's eyes lit up and he got up quickly to run to his crewmates slumped in the leaves.

"Emergency meeting!" he shouted at them. "We need to build the coolest toy in the world!"

Sanji relaxed against the tree and worshiped the cat's regular breathing in his arms.

"I'm gonna take him with us, moss head."

The fencer wanted to gave him a questioning look but the blond wasn't taking his eyes off his new treasure.

"You sure? He may have an owner", he pointed out.

"He doesn't have a collar."

Zoro shrugged. He didn't hate cats so he didn't care if the cook took a shine to this animal. He wouldn't be the one to take care of it though.

* * *

About twenty minutes stretched peacefully. The cook was continuing to fondle the sleeping cat against him and the swordsman was dozing at his side. Suddenly, Luffy turned up again in front of them, his arms full with a round piece of wood of fifty centimeters long.

"We built the best Grand Line toy!" he showed them, grinning from ear to ear.

Sanji straightened to take a look as Zoro was looking at him absentmindedly. Franky, Ussop, Brook and Chopper were standing beside the captain and were nodding with satisfaction.

"It's a multi-function toy", the cyborg said, catching the object. "Look."

He pushed on a piece of wood and a long fishing rod topped with feathers came out of the top of the stick.

"Created from real bird feathers", he stated.

"I built the "independent games" part", Ussop proudly continued.

The sniper pushed on another side and a cavity opened, dropping several balls.

"Some can open to contain catnip or other scents!"

The crew's musician came forward and showed the cook a small wooden bird.

"I have recorded several melodies. Every time the cat will move the bird, a new song will be heard!"

"I made it from a dial", the gunner explained with excitement at his side.

"And we asked Franky to build the most enormous bowl of food!" Luffy got enthusiastic, pointing to Chopper.

"In fact, it's a mobile and adjustable food distributor", the little reindeer explained, showing a circular object about thirty centimeters wide. "The animal must roll it for the food to come out through the holes. This helps to fight boredom and stress!"

Sanji was amazed by the creations of his friends and he already imagined the happy life his cat would be able to live near the straw hat crew. He felt the animal suddenly stretch in his arms and Luffy immediately gave him one of Ussop's balls. After sniffing it, he jumped to the ground and tried to catch it between his paws to play in the middle of the leaves.

"He's adorable!" Brook gushed.

"Did you give him a name, Sanji?" the captain asked him.

"Not yet, I have to think about it..."

* * *

The crew took turns with the cat to show him all his new toys and it turned out that Brook's bird was a great success. Sanji looked lovingly at his little protégé that came regularly asking for cuddles to the crew members totally under his spell.

"We could name him Caramel!" Luffy suddenly shouted.

"Caramel? He's not even that color", Ussop pointed out.

The captain shrugged.

"Yeah, but caramel is good!"

"What about Puss in Boots?" Franky interjected.

"It's not really a name", Sanji noted. "It's more like a title."

"What do you think of Felix? It's a classic that never gets old!" Brook suggested.

"He may already have a name", Chopper thought. "I'll ask him!"

After speaking to the cat that meowed back, the reindeer turned to his friends, smiling.

"His name is Crookshanks!"

"Crookshanks? It's perfect!" the blond got enthusiastic, scratching his head with love.

"Crookshanks! Where are you, Crookshanks?"

The group turned to the sound of the voice and soon, they saw a little girl about eight years old coming towards them. Immediately, the cat pattered towards her among the crackling leaves and when she saw him, she squealed with delight before rushing to meet him.

"You found Crookshanks, thank you!" she said, giving a big smile to the crew in front of her.

"It's your cat?" Luffy asked her.

"Yes, it's Crookshanks!" she showed him. "My name is Rosie. Crookshanks is used to go for long walks outside, I got him since the birthday of my four years!"

"Great! I'm Luffy!"

Sanji was dumbfounded in front of the ball of fur rubbing against the girl's legs, purring continuously. He couldn't believe Crookshanks already had a house... He had already planned everything to put him comfortably on the Sunny...

"Oh, you have beautiful toys!" Rosie exclaimed as she discovered the inventions at Ussop and Franky's feet. "Did you find them in the village?"

"We made them especially for Crookshanks!" the captain explained excitedly. "He loves Brook's bird, look!"

While the straw hat boy was giving her a demonstration, Zoro watched the cook out of the corner of his eye. He had stuffed a cigarette into his mouth and clenched his jaw. Nevertheless, he eventually approached the girl after picking up the rest of the toys in front of his friends.

"You can take them if you want. It was for Crookshanks anyway."

"Really?" Rosie lit up. "How nice you are!"

She grabbed the inventions with delight and Sanji bent down one last time to scratch the animal's head at her feet.

"Have fun, Crookshanks. I'm sure Rosie will continue to take good care of you so don't go too far."

He took a few steps back and Crookshanks climbed onto the girl's shoulders before wrapping around her neck. She offered them a big smile before turning away to return home.

"Thanks again, bye!"

The crew waved back at her and Rosie gradually disappeared from their view as she was coming down to the village. Finally, Ussop sighed.

"What a pity, I liked Crookshanks."

"Me too but he already has a family. He'll be better with Rosie", Sanji said, lighting his cigarette.

His friends nodded and went back to the harbor. The Log-Pose was going to recharge any minute now and the girls were probably already waiting for them on the Sunny.

* * *

Back to the ship, they set sail and Sanji bustled in the kitchen. He was still a little affected by Crookshanks' departure and he made shortbreads in his image for dessert while persuading himself it was better to adopt a cat that wouldn't have the chance to have a family.

During the meal however, he was quickly drawn from his melancholy when he noticed that Nami continued to blow her nose and sneeze regularly. He then totally focused on the navigator for the rest of the lunch and made her a honey and lemon tea when she retired to her room to rest. Chopper also gave her some infused plants to help her fight by advising her to relax because there wasn't much to do but wait.

This is how the young woman decided to take a relaxing bath and she locked herself in the bathroom shortly thereafter.

* * *

Nami sighed as she closed the door behind her. She was finally able to enjoy a real moment of relaxation. Putting her soaps and her towel down, the navigator sank into the hot water whose steam was already invading the room. The temperature was ideal and the water relaxed her immediately.

Despite her condition, she had made sure the weather was calm and the course was launched. She just had to enjoy it. She sighed, enjoying the bubble bath and the subtly perfumed scent.

Nami brutally opened her eyes ten minutes later. She was dozing quietly but a characteristic noise had drawn her from her saving lethargy. She forced herself to close her eyelids again and concentrated on breathing calmly, focusing on the caress of the water. Her headache had ebbed and the steam was helping her to breath. Yes, everything was fine...

The red-haired woman clenched her teeth after another uproar that resounded in the bathroom. They couldn't do this to her, could they?! She was one floor above, how could they make so much noise?!

After a few more moments of fighting, Nami opened her eyes, livid with anger. She jumped out of the water and grabbed a towel she barely took the time to squeeze around her body before opening the bathroom door like a fury.

Eyes on fire, she walked past Luffy who looked questioningly at her as Robin was continuing to read a few steps away, impassive. As she arrived in front of the kitchen, Ussop coughed gently behind her back.

"You know, I'm not sure it's the right time for..."

Nami glared at him and the gunner took a step back, shivering with fear.

"You do what you want, I just wanted to tell you they're busy, you know!"

"I know they're busy! I'll make them regret to be busy when I'm in my bath!" the navigator yelled, mad with rage.

"What's going on?" Chopper intervened as he passed in front of them.

In response, Ussop put a hand on his eyes when Nami opened the kitchen door on the fly while he himself turned around modestly.

* * *

The young woman barely noticed the stunned head of the two occupants who turned towards her at her spectacular entrance. She stepped into the room, water still dripping down her body, and ignored the half-naked bodies slumped onto the table.

"You have no respect for anyone on this ship!" she screamed with no preamble. "We can't spend five minutes in the bath without hearing you fight or get laid and I'm sick of it!"

Sanji closed his mouth he had open wide seeing Nami turned up in such states of undress and Zoro rolled his eyes, annoyed. That one, she really ruined everything...

"You can't continue to use every room of the Sunny whenever you want because other people live here and I don't want to ask myself what I'm gonna find behind the door every time!" she carried on, perfectly hysterical.

The cook swallowed hard. He didn't think he could feel more humiliated someday in his life and he pushed back the swordsman's body above his own. However, his ordeal wasn't over because he saw Luffy come forward in the kitchen.

"What's going on? What you doing all half naked, it's a new game?" he asked around.

Sanji turned pale, Zoro snickered and her navigator turned to him, her anger following him at the same time.

"And you, you unworthy captain who isn't able to control the urges of his crew, have you no shame?!"

"What?" Luffy replied, incredulously.

"Chill out, no need for all the drama", Zoro cut them short, straightening up quietly.

"I'll tell you when there'll be no need for all the drama!" Nami shouted in return. "And put your clothes on, you depraved swordsman!"

Zoro shrugged and actually grabbed his pants while Sanji took the opportunity to hide behind the counter.

"Listen, both of you", she continued, royally ignoring the captain. "It has to stop 'cause there's no way I'm gonna catch you disturbing the ship or finding you doing that anywhere again!"

"Oh, yeah and what are you gonna do about it exactly?" the fencer retorted, folding his arms over his chest.

"I'm gonna find you a room!"

Sanji, Zoro and Luffy stared at her for a moment, gaping.

"What for?" the captain then asked.

"You, get out of here! Go take a hike!"

The straw hat boy recoiled from the fury of his navigator and went off shrugging, completely lost.

"A room?" the cook who had dressed himself too repeated.

"Yeah, a fucking room, so we'll be fine! But I warn you, until then, you'd better hold you back cos I swear I'll cut you off, and with your sword, Zoro!"

The fencer winced, not enthusiastic about this use for his swords and his manhood.

Nami took their silence for approval and at last go back to her bath, still furious. She let the two men finish getting dressed in silence while Ussop finally dared to take a look inside the room, not without having made Chopper promised to wait for his signal before opening his eyes.

* * *

The same evening after the meal, Zoro slipped into the back of the cook busy finishing his dishes, making him jump when he ran a hand under his shirt. The ship was quiet and he was going to start kissing him when Sanji stopped his hand on his skin with a firm gesture.

"You sick or something, marimo?" he reproached him, turning around.

"The witch interrupted us earlier", the swordsman reminded him. "We have to finish..."

"Damn, you're really stupid", the cook said irritably. "Why do you think she turned up, huh? Don't start it again!"

"Why? What do I care about her threats?" he retorted. "Don't tell me she scares you?"

"That's not the point", the blond dodged. "We are on a ship with other people, she's right. We must learn to... delay."

"To delay?"

"Yeah. To stop behaving like animals if you prefer."

Zoro sighed, really annoyed.

"How long 'til she builds this room? We're not gonna wait for days!"

"Yeah, speaking of which, you think it's a good idea?" the cook asked him, taking out a cigarette.

"What? I thought you didn't want to do that anywhere, make up your mind!" the swordsman wondered.

"True, but a room..."

"You're right. If we requisition the hold, there's no need to wait and no one ever goes in there!"

Sanji looked up and stared at him, astounded.

"The hold isn't a place for that! There are all our food stocks, Chopper's herbs and Franky and Ussop's tools! Plus, I wasn't talking about that, you stupid!"

"Oh? What then?" the swordsman scowled.

The blond ran a tired hand over his face.

"Don't you think it's kind of weird if we have a room? It's a private space, it's not trivial!" he pointed out irritably.

The swordsman shrugged.

"Who gives a shit? She won't mess with us and we'll be safe. And she's the one who offered it!"

"Jeez, why did I think you could understand?" Sanji surrendered.

"It's just a fucking room!" the fencer suddenly fumed. "We won't spend our life in there!"

"But we'll spend our nights in there! It means we'll have to go there at night and that means we'll sleep together! It'll mean we share something so frankly, it's not just a fucking room!" the cook snapped in his turn.

Zoro gazed at him for a moment in silence before sighing.

"Why do you always need to make everything complicated? It's a room, you go if you want. No one will force you to go or stay in. If you want to get out for sleeping somewhere else, I won't stop you and I'd do the same if I feel like it."

Sanji caught his breath, uncomfortable. He had to admit he was feeling stupid now that Zoro had shown him he had a panic attack for four walls and a bed.

"Still, it feels weird", he kept on to not completely lose face, taking out his lighter.

"Yeah, you're a weirdo anyway", the swordsman grumbled in conclusion.

The cook didn't reply and winced when the door slammed behind his crewmate.

* * *

 _Yeah, Crookshanks is Hermione's cat name (no other resemblance with this cat however, phew!)._

 _Nami really is the best to jump right to the problem, isn't she? She can do anything!_

 _I also love deepen the gap between Zoro and Sanji but it's for bringing them closer afterwards, promise!_

 _I wish you the best Holidays._


	20. The hungry one

_Thanks to yukino76 for your review._

 _Enjoy your reading._

* * *

 **Chapter 20**

 **The hungry one**

A few days later, Nami was reading the newspaper around the breakfast table where everyone was chatting loudly. When she finished reading, she folded the paper before throwing it to land it on the counter. She then met Franky's gaze and he nodded to her. Delighted, she stood up to get the attention of her friends.

"I have great news for everyone", she announced with a smile.

"What is it?" the others asked inquisitively.

The navigator made a motion towards the cyborg who handed her a key. The young woman then solemnly handed it to Sanji while Luffy was taking advantage of the general inattention to finish all the plates.

"Key to heaven. For our eyes and ears."

As the cook didn't understand, Nami's smile widened.

"Franky built your room using some of the space in the boys' quarter. It's perfectly insulated so make good use of it."

The blond turned red as a beetroot while his crewmates sneered around the table. On the other hand, the swordsman didn't look embarrassed in the slightest.

"It's about time", he said to Nami as he was necking the bottle he had on hand so early in the morning.

"Don't get too excited, buddy", the redhead replied. "Expenses are withheld on your debt."

"What?! What about the cook's?!" the fencer choked.

"As well. With all the inconveniences we have had, interests don't seem superfluous to me."

"Greedy woman!"

"Exhibitionist!"

"Why are Sanji and Zoro going to sleep together?"

All turned their heads to their captain, stunned.

"You explaining it to him or I'm doing it?" Zoro asked the navigator provocatively.

"For you to traumatize him?" Nami retorted sharply. "Lame swordsman!"

"Two-bit scammer!"

"Let's not have this fight again", Franky grumbled, already tired.

"Forget it, Luffy, I'll explain to you later", the young red-haired woman suggested him.

"Okay. They're gonna have babies?"

Faces turned to him again, this time panicked.

"Chopper, you explain to him!" the navigator ducked out.

"What?! But I... It's..." the reindeer stammered.

"Stop that, he's still a kid", the carpenter of the ship intervened.

"I didn't think you knew all that, Luffy", Ussop noted in astonishment. "In fact, you're further along on the subject than I thought..."

"You can get that fantasy out of your head right now", the cook grinded beside him. "A baby as stupid as the marimo wouldn't be a gift."

"You're one to talk", the fencer sniggered. "A brat with your eyebrows would be outright abuse!"

"I don't think that's the point our captain really wanted to raise", Brook said nicely.

"Look, Luffy, it's not that simple", Franky began seriously. "To make babies, you n-"

"Relax, I was kiddin'! You're so funny!" the captain exclaimed, banging his fist on the table and delighted with his effect.

Nami frowned, not convinced.

"You were kidding?"

"I know how babies are made, I'm not stupid!" the straw hat boy explained to her, continuing to laugh.

"Really?" the archaeologist inquired with interest.

"Robin, no!" the gunner begged her but it was too late.

"Well..."

Luffy took time to think before shrugging.

"I don't know all the details but I think I remember it's always a woman who has a baby so technically, Zoro and Sanji can't have one!"

A good part of the crew sighed with relief. Chopper for not having to explain, Nami for noticing she wasn't wrong and Zoro, Franky, Sanji and Ussop for stating that their captain was still naive on some topics. For her part, Robin chuckled and Brook raised his glass of milk to the glory of his captain.

* * *

A figure poked his head through the half-open kitchen door cautiously. She quickly scanned her environment and her gaze focused on her prey.

A bowl filled with a melted chocolate preparation.

The figure twisted to go through the door without opening it further. She knew how much the master of the place could have good hearing and she didn't plan on getting caught.

As soon as she had entered the room, the figure began to salivate. The smell of the hot chocolate filled the room and it was impossible to resist. Forgetting all precautions, she jumped on the salad bowl and plunged her finger inside before licking it with relish. She had never eaten melted chocolate so delicious...

The figure grabbed the salad bowl and began to empty it like a bowl of milk. The chocolate dripped around her mouth and her chin but her only concern was to swallow her snack before being spotted. She then licked her lips greedily and tried to wipe properly. She was just finishing cleaning herself when footsteps resounded in the infirmary next door. Panicked, the figure noticed Sanji was talking to Chopper and they seemed to be coming towards her.

She left the empty bowl on the table and ran like the wind.

* * *

Sanji opened the infirmary's door leading to the kitchen, his arms full of aromatic herbs as he we was thanking Chopper behind him. He froze however, discovering multiple marks of chocolate on the table, the floor and even the handle of the outer door. His gaze immediately turned on his salad bowl filled to the brim with melted chocolate a minute earlier. Empty.

The cook felt his blood boiling in his veins and he flushed with anger. Not only he didn't tolerate people who assume the right to help themselves in his lair without his permission but also, this cake was supposed to allow him to think of something else than his nervousness at the idea of sharing a room with Zoro openly and publicly. And someone had just made explode his entertainment in full flight.

The bastard who had ravaged his kitchen wasn't going to end the day alive.

* * *

The straw hat crew cook's cry of rage echoed into the library. Robin looked up from her book and looked out of the window, curious. She heard scared squeaking and frantic flight noise and leaned a little closer to the window. She saw the chef in a state approaching hysteria dragging Ussop and Brook along before flinging them into the kitchen. Then he went back in search of his next victims and brought Luffy while Franky was following him, grumbling. The blond then screamed at the sleeping swordsman who growled at his loud voice before the cook ordered him to meet his crewmembers in the kitchen.

Robin chuckled as she realized the fencer had decided to follow him while covering his ears. Really, Sanji could be terrifying when he got angry. This didn't, however, prevent the archaeologist from quietly resume reading a few moments later.

* * *

"All right, you fuckers, which one of you stole my chocolate mix?!"

Nobody moved and the cook's fury intensified.

"You better fess up cos I know it's one of you!" he shouted even more. "I was preparing this for a tangerine cake for Nami so until I know who it is, you'll stay here!"

"How do you know it's one of us?" Franky pointed him out. "Why Chopper and the girls aren't here?"

"Chopper was with me and it's simply unthinkable Robin-chan or Nami-san stoop to such malfeasance!"

The blond glared at each one of his crewmates.

"Who did this?" he repeated in a deep voice.

"You wanna know who?" the swordsman muttered. "Okay, I'm gonna help you. It's not me."

"It's not me, either!" Ussop added.

"How should I know?! I have to take your word for it?!"

Sanji stared at them carefully for long seconds and took time to think. Quite logically, he could already cross two people off his list of suspects.

"Okay. Franky and Marimo Head, you can go out."

"Why are they eliminated?" Luffy asked with curiosity.

"Franky only needs cola, food is optional for him. I don't see why he'd have done that", the blond grinded while nonetheless staring at the cyborg.

"You got that right, bro! I had nothing to do with this!" the engineer agreed.

"I'm fine with Franky but why Zoro?" Ussop asked suspiciously. "It ain't right if he has a free pass because you're together."

The cook saw red and gave him a violent clout behind his head. The sniper then massaged his skull painfully, grumbling.

"That stupid musclehead has no free pass! Zoro doesn't like sweet foods so it makes sense he's innocent, that's all!"

The swordsman nodded and went out with the cyborg, happy to get away from this hell.

Sanji turned to his last three crewmates and ignited a spark out of his lighter to light a cigarette. The gleam that light up his face was evil.

"I will find whoever did it and he will regret it."

* * *

Franky sighed. Lunchtime was long past but no one had access to the kitchen until its owner had unmasked the culprit. Sanji had simply taken a break in his questioning to bring their meals to the two young women who had eaten in their room. As for the boys, they were forcing to wait.

"Investigation is still unresolved?" Robin asked as she set the empty plates down near the kitchen door.

"No. I think food deprivation is part of his method to bend them", the cyborg explained her.

"And we're lumped together", the swordsman not far from them grumbled.

"Sanji gave me sweets to wait", Chopper showed them. "We can share if you want."

"No thanks", the two men grunted with a sigh.

For her part, the archaeologist accepted one before leaving again to the library with a smile.

* * *

Ussop noisily swallowed his saliva. The psychological pressure the chef was imposing on him was unbearable.

"You're continually lying, Ussop! For once in your life, tell me the truth!" the blond hurled him.

Sanji wasn't taking his eyes off him and the gunner wanted to confess. Anything and everything as long as he could be left alone. Finally, he cracked.

"Okay, it was me who took the last shortbread in Crookshanks's shape last time!" he admitted, bursting into tears. "But I missed him so much, I wanted to have a memory! I still have it, I didn't eat it... I'm sorry... But it's not me who ate the chocolate, I swear!"

The cook sighed. He hadn't even realized a biscuit had disappeared and Ussop seemed about to faint. He could reasonably cross him off from his list of suspects.

"It's fine, you can go out. I know you didn't do it."

The sniper raised eyes filled with gratitude in front of his executioner's compassion and he went off to the door without further ado.

Sanji watched his last two crewmates for a long time. One of them was guilty of theft, he was sure of it. But which one?

* * *

Chopper rushed towards the still trembling gunner who had just walked through the door.

"So?" he asked. "Who is it?"

"I don't know", Ussop sniffed. "But he finally believed me and let me go."

"What the hell did he do to you?" the swordsman wondered. "Why are you such a mess?"

The sniper shook his head and wiped his red eyes.

"He threatened me to the worst tortures with cooking utensils. He told me that on the Baratie, cooks were training on customers who didn't pay their bills. That they had disemboweled a man with a butcher knife to take out his viscera and cook it for him, and that he had used a bottle opener to tear out his fingernails! I'm gonna have nightmares for the rest of my life..."

Ussop felt himself turning pale again and the little reindeer shuddered. For their part, Franky and Zoro shared a look before sighing. Sanji wasn't going halfway to unmask the thief...

* * *

"Now, who wants to go first?"

Brook and Luffy froze. Neither of them wanted to suffer this atrocious torture and they took a step back in spite of themselves. They didn't believe Sanji would carry out his threat until the blond forced them to undress, leaving them only their underwear.

"I'm waiting", the cook quietly continued, shaking the object of their fear in his hand. "Who sacrifice himself?"

"Is it... Is it really necessary to come to that?" the musician stammered.

"Absolutely", the blond replied. "It's about the good of the community. Such an act can't go unpunished."

Sanji approached the straw hat boy and shook the feather in front of his eyes, which followed his movement, hypnotized.

"Any last words, Captain?"

"Is it a seagull or a duck feather?"

The cook refrained himself from kicking him and turned his gaze into his.

"You have just sealed your doom."

He approached the captain and slid the feather along his ribs. Immediately, Luffy bounced up and down to escape from tickle and he couldn't help but burst out laughing when the feather migrated to his belly.

"Ooohhh, please, Sanji, ple- Hahaha!"

The straw hat boy collapsed on the ground, shaking with spasms. After a few minutes, the cook straightened up and stared into the empty orbs of the skeleton who shook. Luffy had watery eyes and was short of breath. He hadn't got up.

"It's your turn, Brook."

"But I am innocent, I assure you!" he protested, stepping back again.

"As long as none of you confess, you won't get out of here."

* * *

"How long has it been?" Nami asked.

"Nearly an hour", the cyborg answered.

"Hm. I'm surprised by their stamina", the young woman admitted.

Jerky laughs were rising regularly from the kitchen. They had successively heard Luffy then Brook, and then again Luffy begging the chef but this one obviously had no mercy.

"He's gonna kill them", the engineer commented. "They can barely breathe."

Zoro opened an eye from the mast where he was leaning on. He was trying to forget his hunger and his need for beer but the screams of his crewmates were preventing him from concentrating or sleeping. For his part, Chopper had brought a blanket to the gunner who was slowly regaining his composure by jumping at each noise coming from the kitchen.

"They better confess", Franky sighed. "The longer they wait, the more he'll be furious."

"Neither is smart enough to understand that", Nami shrugged before walking away.

The ship's carpenter sighed again. The navigator was certainly right.

* * *

"O-Ok-Okay! It's the-the ne-newspaper! Ple-please, Sanji..."

The blond stared at his captain lying on the floor and on the verge of asphyxiation.

"What about the newspaper?"

"They... They said in the newspaper that... it's my lucky day."

The cook wondered if the straw hat boy hadn't lost his mind before seeing the unfolded newspaper on the counter. He grabbed it and flipped through it.

"Your lucky day? What does this have to do with chocolate?"

"In his horoscope."

Sanji fixed his gaze on the skeleton who was having a hard time to catch his breath as well. He lit a cigarette and turned the pages.

 _Taurus. Today, nothing can touch you. It's your lucky day._

The blond frowned at the sight of the astrologer's name. Basil Hawkins. This name reminded him of something.

"So what?" he grumbled, turning his attention to Luffy.

"I thought that... nothing could happen to me. It's my lucky day... Sorry, Sanji..."

This one removed the cigarette from his mouth and stared him intently for long seconds. He then turned to Brook.

"You knew about this?"

"I read him his horoscope but I didn't think it would give him such ideas", the musician admitted, straightening up somehow.

The chef rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"You really think your lucky day would have allowed you to raid my kitchen, Luffy?" he snarled, glaring at his captain.

"I was hungry and there was no meat but you were out and there was this huge bowl of delicious chocolate! It looked like my lucky day", the straw hat boy pleaded.

"In this case, you'll have the right to take a second helping only once today", Sanji decreed while his captain was turning pale. "That way, you'll think twice about believing your horoscope is smarter than me!"

With these words, the cook kicked his two crewmates out with their jumbled clothes before locking the door behind him. He then swung the newspaper on the bench and took his dishes out of the fridge. He still had to feed the rest of the crew anyway.

* * *

Sanji twirled the key for the umpteenth time between his nervous fingers before inserting it into the lock and opening the door. The late meal was over and he had prepared a snack for his two princesses. So he had nothing to do until the evening and he finally made up his mind. He wanted to discover the room alone and without waiting for the night when the swordsman would be too eager to take the time of anything other than their business. He didn't know why he had taken the newspaper with him tough.

The room was sober and a little bigger than he had imagined. A double bed occupied most of the space and thin wooden planks on the walls would allow them to put some personal items down. He even noticed three locations on the left wall, a likely attention for the fencer's swords. He also appreciated the cyborg has kept a porthole that lavished a little light and doesn't make the place look like a closet thanks to its view of the ocean.

The cook sat on the bed before plopping himself down thoughtfully. This place was theirs, only to them, and a delicious thrill of anticipation ran through him at this thought. Zoro was right. If he didn't want to stay, he would just have to go away and nobody would find fault...

Sanji unfolded the newspaper and looked at the horoscope again. He hadn't even read his own earlier. Anyway, in view of what was predicted to Luffy, he didn't want to give it much credit but he was still curious.

 _Pisces. Today, you dream of distant horizons, new exhilarating adventures or places to discover._

Seriously? Did this astrologer realize that most of the people on Grand Line did so in search of discovery and adventure?

Sanji sighed. It was stupid. He nevertheless decided to look Nami's.

 _Cancer. Highlight your creative power that everyone seems to enjoy. Especially as your friends can help you to realize certain plans._

Now, the blond had to acknowledge a certain truth in these few lines. Nami was unquestionably a strong person and everyone praised her intelligence. And he would always be ready to help her, of course!

His eyes then wandered off to another column.

 _Scorpio. Thanks to your will and authority, you achieve your aims. But admit it, without your partner or colleagues, you would have had more difficulties, wouldn't you?_

Sanji's eyes widened before bursting into laughter. This horoscope perfectly described the marimo! The chef resolved to give more value to this Basil Hawkins eventually.

He then set the newspaper down by his side on the bed and closed his eyes a few moments to rest, a smile on his lips.

He was slowly falling asleep when he heard the sound of the handle turn. He opened an eye but had no time to catch a glimpse because a weight slammed him against the mattress, taking his breath away.

"Move, idiot", he grumbled, recognizing Zoro against him.

"You really are moody as hell today", the man snickered, breathing down his neck.

"Move! Your fucking swords are crushing my hip!"

The swordsman rolled over and put his weapons down against the wall. He was about to attack the cook again but he had gotten up. Fortunately, the blond just went to close the door and Zoro threw himself at him, falling with his back on the bed and holding his prey against his chest.

"You're gonna pay for the way you behaved this morning", he whispered in his ear before brutally nibbling his neck.

"I exonerated you right away!" the cook reminded him, struggling.

"You traumatized the crew. Ussop hardly dares to look at you now."

The blond shrugged in spite of his position and tried to turn around but the swordsman was firmly holding him against him by using his legs and he continued to torture him under his kisses. Deciding to trick, Sanji took off the buttons of his jacket then those of his shirt before spreading the fabric to the maximum so that the other man was tempted to move, and so to leave him room for manoeuvre. His strategy was rewarding as Zoro quickly slid his hands along his chest and stomach in the form of delicious caresses that distracted him of his goal for a moment.

A minute later, he had managed to turn around and thus impose his pace. He straightened up and sat on his crewmate's hips with a triumphant air. However, it didn't take him a long time to lean forward in order to lengthily kiss him before going down to the hollow of his neck and shoulders.

Between the more and more rapid breaths of the swordsman, he suddenly looked up at him, amused.

"By the way, you know why Luffy did it?" he asked him.

"Why?" the fencer answered in a distracted voice, more focused on his strokes.

"Because his horoscope told him it was his lucky day!"

"His lucky day?"

"Yeah. And you'll never guess who's writing those damn horoscopes", he sneered, putting his lips down to his jaw again. "Basil Hawkins."

"Who's that?" the swordsman inquired in a hoarse voice.

"One of the Supernovae. It hit me this afternoon. I knew he was interested in predictions but he must be short of money to do things like that..."

The cook slid his shirt off his shoulders and helped the swordsman to get rid of his tee-shirt. He then put his tongue on the fencer's pecs who flexed at his touch.

"Anyway, I knew you had a bossy side but it seems you're sadist too, cook", he whispered to him, letting his hands wander over his bare shoulder blades.

"You prefer my natural suppleness?" the blond suggested, nibbling him.

"Definitely..."

Sanji stifled a laugh against his lover's warm skin before standing up again. Zoro followed his movement with a hazy look. The cook knew the swordsman was now obsessed by his desire and he sensually moved his pelvis against his, causing delicious sensations in their crotches. He then leaned forward slightly and stared at the fencer who had set his hands on his hips to guide him.

"Will you let me do this today?" he asked softly, continuing his languid motions. "We're alone, no one will bother us..."

"What are you talking about?" the swordsman whispered, lost in the sensations spreading throughout his entire body.

"You know... Let me take you and fuck your pretty little ass..."

Zoro froze before wincing.

"Shit, don't talk like that", he mumbled. "It doesn't suit you..."

Above him, the blond had an amused smile.

"So, speaking bluntly isn't your thing?"

"No, that's just... vulgar."

"The great Roronoa Zoro is a sensitive being. Fine, I'll remember that", the cook whispered to his ear.

The swordsman began to move again, dragging Sanji who followed his pace with his hips.

"And if I used more politically correct terms, would you agree?" the cook continued, placing small kisses on his neck.

"No, I... I don't know... I'd rather not", the swordsman whispered, breathing speeding up.

"Why? I promise you I'll take care of it", the chief kept on, looking up at him.

"It's not that. I just... don't wanna."

Sanji sighed without slowing down his movements and kisses. Zoro always had a good excuse not to give in but at the same time, he didn't want to force or beg him. He still had his pride.

"One day?"

"One day."

Suddenly, Zoro straightened up and ran a hand behind the blond's nape of neck to kiss him passionately. He was then carried away by the delicious sensations on his mouth and his crotch his lover had just started to massage. Sanji let the swordsman topple him over the mattress after he got rid of their last clothes with sudden moves.

The cook understood his impatience but he didn't see why their clothes had to suffer each time or why the fencer wasn't able to take his time or to restrain himself in order to increase their desire.

Sanji gave up his thoughts when Zoro began kissing him greedily, starting from his neck, going down to his chest and stomach and venturing even lower.

To hell with his questions, he would see that later...

* * *

 _Another chapter thanks to the holydays!_

 _For the record, I imagined Luffy's horoscope but every others were real horoscopes I found on the internet!_

 _I don't know why I dragged Basil Hawkins in this mess, I don't think he'll be interested in writing horoscopes but it was fun anyway!_

 _I wish you the very best for this New Year._


	21. Obstacle course

_Welcome aboard for the new readers.  
Enjoy your reading._

* * *

 **Chapter 21**

 **Obstacle course**

"Luffy!"

Behind the closed door, the navigator had screamed with all the strength of her lungs, even distracting Zoro busy with his daily training at the back of the ship to enjoy the beautiful weather a few days later. The other crew members around him winced and slipped away at full speed, sensing the tornado that was about to burst and fearing to be caught in the heat of her anger. The swordsman didn't let it throw himself off and he took his dumbbells back to restart his interrupted series.

While Nami was actually turning up, cheeks red with anger, she screamed again the name of her captain, tearing the first mate's eardrums.

"Luffy! Get your chicken carcass in here right now!"

With that, she turned on her heel and the library door shook behind her. For a moment, Zoro felt sorry for the captain who was probably going to get the biggest telling-off of his life. When he saw him approaching with a singing step, he wanted to salute his courage before thinking he wasn't probably aware of what was in store for him.

"Hey, did you see Nami, Zoro?"

The swordsman put his dumbbells down and nodded toward the door that had just slammed.

"Don't know what you did to her but she's damn pissed off."

"Oh?"

The young man seemed to think for a few moments before shrugging his shoulders.

"Don't remember."

Zoro mentally told him he would know it soon enough while the straw hat boy was walking away cheerfully.

A few seconds later, the fencer got confirmation when Nami greeted the captain in an outburst of screams.

"Do you realize what you did, you idiot?!"

As Luffy didn't answer or didn't know, the fury continued.

"Weeks of work ruined! I spent nights redrawing all the outlines of these islands! You have no respect for anything!"

The swordsman smiled as he switched sides for his series of sit-ups. Luffy must have damaged one of Nami's precious maps and he wouldn't give two bits for him.

"You have no idea what this works means!" she shouted again. "You can't worry so little about my dream because yours only takes into account fights and food!"

"I'm sorry, Nami."

The captain looked sincerely sorry but that didn't seem enough.

"Look, I showed you this map because I like it, because it's important to me!" the navigator explained to him in a voice now strangled. "And you, you treated it as if it was nothing more than a piece of paper! It's not fair, Luffy! What would you think if I told you we're headed to the One Piece when in fact, I'm just looking to find an island I could map?!"

The young woman suddenly looked tired and Zoro was surprised. Usually, Nami could pour her anger for hours without faltering but she must have been more hurt than he had thought.

"I'm really trying, Luffy", she continued. "I know it's not easy for you either but if I share something so personal with you, I'm expecting you to become aware of it. I don't ask you to be serious all the time, you can't, but just for some things. Otherwise, what's the point being together?"

Zoro slowed down the pace of his bending. Apparently, Luffy had really screwed up.

"I brought you tangerines!" he heard the captain say.

There was no sound on the other side of the door for a long time during which Zoro couldn't help but eavesdrop a little.

"Tangerines?" Nami finally said wearily.

"Yeah. I thought you'd like it!"

"These tangerines aren't ripe. They'd had to stay in the sun for another ten days."

"Ah."

The silence stretched for several more seconds before the young woman's voice rose in a sigh.

"Pay more attention next time, that's all I ask you."

The swordsman released his breath he hadn't been aware of holding back. Luffy was on the right track but he had to learn to be a little more attentive toward his navigator. Zoro snickered. Fortunately, he didn't have that kind of problem with Sanji.

"What are you laughing at, marimo? And since when you listen to other people's conversations?"

Obviously, the cook had to appear at that very moment. The fencer shrugged his shoulders.

"I wasn't listening. They're talking too loud."

"Oh, sure."

The blond leaned back against the railing and handed him a sandwich that Zoro devoured without even thanking him. Not paying attention, Sanji glanced at the door.

"I made a delicious refreshing cocktail for Nami-san but I don't know if it's the right time..."

The swordsman glared at the cook who was staring at the library door with concern. Nami-san? He could be so annoying with his ridiculous nicknames!

"Leave them alone. Luffy's gonna be busy to be forgiven."

"That idiot doesn't know how to behave properly with women", Sanji said, saddened.

"Well, at least he doesn't have to crawl on the ground to get one in his bed", his crewmate slyly replied.

"Don't talk about our navigator as a sexual object!"

"I wasn't! It's you who has a dirty mind when it comes to women!"

Zoro was in a bad mood now and Sanji noticed his features had hardened. Sweat was still shining on his tanned skin and the cool wind was ringing his three earrings. In spite of himself, the cook thought he was adorable and he decided to lighten the mood.

"Women are exceptional beings, they're all future queens and I have to worship them as high as their beauty", he explained with a seductive smile.

The swordsman gave him a disgusted look in return.

"I'm struck by the number of bullshits you can utter..."

"Don't make fun of my principles, Cactus-kun. I may venerate them as goddesses but that doesn't mean I don't notice others."

He gave him a suggestive look and Zoro felt himself blush in spite of himself.

"You really are a pervert", he grumbled to hide his embarrassment.

"At your service!"

With these words, the cook stole a kiss from the corner of his lips before heading back to the kitchen, leaving Zoro shivering despite the sun.

* * *

After lunch, Robin sat on the deck with a book to watch for the imminent appearance of the next island. The swordsman then decided to take advantage of his second daily nap before their arrival and he walked to the back of the Sunny to be quiet.

"Zoro, come look!"

The fencer slowly turned his head towards his captain standing in the middle of the tangerine trees. He got close with a sigh and watched him touch all the fruits within reach with his fingertips.

"You know something about tangerines?"

The swordsman immediately thought a new fight had probably taken place between Luffy and Nami. Why would he look for tangerines otherwise?

"What'd you do this time?" he asked, leaning against a tree.

"Nothing, I just wanna learn tangerines!"

"You wanna learn tangerines?"

"Yeah! That way, Nami'll see I'm trying too!"

So that was it. The fencer approached his hand toward a small fruit, still yellow, dubious.

"I thought only the girls and the cook had the right to come near tangerine trees?"

"I'm careful!"

Zoro shook his head.

"If you ask me, you've already played the tangerine card. You must think of something else."

"Really? Like what?"

His captain turned his gaze on him in a posture of great attention and the swordsman immediately regretted his words.

"I dunno, something she likes. She's your girlfriend, not mine..."

"I know! She loves maps!"

"Yeah, talking about that, did you repair the one you ruined?"

The straw hat boy sighed.

"Nami said she'll have to start all over again", he admitted. "That's crazy, I didn't mean to but all the sauce landed on her map!"

Zoro didn't comment but he understood better the navigator's anger this morning.

"This whole thing is really complicated with Nami", the captain complained, scratching his head. "I don't understand everything she wants but I feel it's important..."

His first mate didn't add anything. He didn't know much about relationship and what he understood about the navigator wasn't to her benefit so he preferred to keep quiet.

"I have to ask Ussop, I'm sure he'll know what to do!" Luffy suddenly decided happily.

"Really?" the swordsman wondered.

"Yeah, he explained to me for the things I can't tell!"

As Zoro looked questioningly at him, the young man began to recite with pride.

"Everything I do with Nami when there's just the two of us is only for us so I can't tell you all about it and especially if it concerns my stomach ache."

"I wouldn't have suspected Ussop to be able to explain it to you", the fencer admitted, impressed.

"He's too strong!" the brown captain agreed, laughing.

"Anyway, Nami forgave you, right?" the swordsman spoke again. "It should be fine if you don't start again, you just have to stay out of trouble."

Luffy shook his head, annoyed.

"That's what she said but Brook noticed she hasn't been herself during lunch and Franky told me the same thing earlier. I think she's still angry and that really bothers me! That's why I wanted to learn tangerines!"

"Yeah, well, you should think of another gift if you want my opinion."

And without further ceremony, the swordsman left Luffy to his thoughts for a well-deserved nap.

* * *

"You have to give her a jewel! Women love jewelry!" Franky exclaimed with aplomb.

"Or a precious stone!" Brook suggested.

"A precious stone? But it's expensive!" Luffy pointed out, eyes wide.

After his discussion with Zoro, the captain had decided to gather all the male crew members in the kitchen to explain his problem. This is how his friends were lavishing on him more extravagant advice than each other for him to be forgiven by the navigator while his first mate couldn't go to sleep.

"You could invite her to Mermaid Island. It seems like a really pretty place", Ussop suggested.

"Bad idea", Sanji intervened. "Women are renowned for their extreme beauty there and Nami could see a misplaced comparison. Although there's no one as beautiful as her on Grand Line!" he added blissfully.

"You could steal a treasure to give it to her," Chopper thought. "Nami loves treasures!"

"That's smart", the straw hat boy agreed. "What you think, Zoro?"

"I don't care", the swordsman honestly answered before closing his eyes on his chair.

He had to stay there out of loyalty to his captain but he didn't have to take part in it and he intended not to do so.

"You boor, you could help us!" Sanji reproached him with a kick under the table.

The fencer opened his eyes with a start, furious. He was going to respond with a well-placed stroke of sword when Luffy abruptly interrupted them.

"I know! I'll buy her a ring!"

"A... ring?" the gunner stammered. "Isn't it a little rushed?"

"No, why?" his captain replied, a big smile on his face. "Franky said girls love jewelry! A ring is a jewel, right?"

"That's true, Luffy but rings are special jewels", the little reindeer explained to him.

"A ring is often a sign of important commitment between two people. For now, you're looking for a gift to be forgiven so this is perhaps not the right time", the musician added.

"Oh?" the young man sighed, disappointed. "But I don't have any other ideas!"

There was silence for a moment during which everyone - or almost everyone - sought a solution to his captain's problem before a voice outside interrupted them.

"Island in sight!" Robin told them.

Everyone got up immediately, pushing aside chairs and table before running to the deck to watch their new destination excitedly.

* * *

Sanji winced. Why had he inherited Luffy for shopping already? Oh yes, Ussop had pretended to want to visit the big factory in the city and Franky had wanted to accompany him. Brook then offered to help Zoro get the cola and Chopper went to the pharmacies. Nami had resolved to stay on the Sunny since there were obviously not many clothing stores and Sanji had hoped Robin would accompany him. Unfortunately, the navigator had asked her friend to keep her company and he had ended up watching the captain among the market stalls.

Coming out of his thoughts and as quick as lightning, the blond suddenly slammed his foot on Luffy's hand who dropped the twenty sausages the stallholder had imprudently given him. The crew's cook caught the food with an expert hand and put it away carefully.

"Stop drooling on everything we buy", he reproached him, pulling on his cigarette butt with an unhappy air.

"It's not my fault, it just seems too good!" his captain whimpered.

"Try at least not to eat everything before we get back to Sunny."

Luffy swallowed his saliva before smelling a delicious odor of smoked fish. He was going to rush toward its source when Sanji grabbed him by the collar.

"Stay still. We'll go to the vegetables, it may calm you down."

The straw hat boy firmly nodded and followed him with a smile but as soon as he saw the mountain of fresh fruits and vegetables juicier and more appetizing than each other, he began to drool again in abundance.

"I can't believe it", the cook grumbled.

The situation was such that he was forced to admit he still preferred to watch the swordsman with his pathetic sense of direction rather than Luffy and his monstrous appetite. Although. One didn't catch up to the other in truth and it was unlikely that a crew as well known as theirs was provided with such millstones, he thought.

Sanji threw his cigarette while contemplating his environment in search of a bright idea. He then saw a candy store not far from them and approached.

"Do you have sticky nougats?" he asked, lighting a new cigarette.

"Sticky nougats? But these are failed nougats", the man pointed out wonderingly.

"I know. Do you have some or not?"

"Hm... There are those of this morning we kept..."

"I take everything you have."

The man's eyes widened then shrugged before bringing back what his strange client had asked. Sanji paid the nougats and meet his captain.

"Eat this and wait for me here."

The captain had literally stars in his eyes as he dipped his hand into the big bag the cook had just handed him. He threw in his mouth a full handful of nougat, radiant.

"Nougats, it'ch too good! Shank you, Sanshi!"

"Yeah, you'll thank me later."

Luffy was vigorously chewing and the nougat stretched quickly between his teeth and on his tongue. The captain wondered for a second about this characteristic before putting some again into his mouth with enthusiasm.

"It'ch schiky, shat's funny!"

The cook took a puff from his cigarette, watching him struggle with satisfaction. He then went to the vegetables stallholders to peacefully do his shopping. With the amount of nougat Luffy would have to fight against, he wouldn't have to worry about finding him drooling or devouring his precious food before he even paid it. He should simply inform Chopper to be attentive to the development of possible cavities but it was the lesser of two evils.

When he came back about twenty minutes later, Luffy was covered with bits of nougat from head to toe. Sanji pulled his cigarette butt out of the corner of his lips wearily and put his bags on the floor.

"What happened?" he sighed.

"I wanted to make a nougat bubble because it stuck", his captain seriously explained to him. "It was really huge and everyone was encouraging me but when it exploded, it got all over me!"

"I see..."

Sanji dragged him to a fountain and helped him to wash himself. The nougat was really sticky and to think it had gone through Luffy's mouth didn't help his cook not to feel disgusted.

"By the way, you found a present for Nami-san?" he mumbled when they finally finished.

"Yeah, a guy told me about his shop when I inflated my nougat bubble!" the captain said excitedly. "That's exactly what Nami needs but the thing is, it'll be expensive..."

The straw hat boy then rummaged in his pockets to take out the money the navigator had confided to him for the day and frowned after recounting.

"I don't know if I could buy her a present if I got a little snack before", he said, annoyed.

Sanji firmly shook his head.

"Priority is to satisfy Nami, Luffy. The rest will wait."

"You're right!"

The captain screwed his hat onto his head and punched his hand.

"I'm gonna give her the best gift and then, she won't be mad at me anymore!"

Luffy giggled and Sanji nodded.

"As soon as you get her present, come back to Sunny, I'll prepare a meal just for you."

"Oh, thanks, Sanji! You're the best! I'll get right on it!"

The dark-haired young man sped to one of the alleyways and his cook watched him clear out with a smile. Luffy wasn't the most considerate man but he certainly had a heart of gold.

* * *

When Luffy returned to the Sunny in the middle of the afternoon, he immediately rushed to the kitchen without even looking at the rest of his crew grouped together on the deck.

He landed in the room with a crazy look and literally threw himself at the feet of the blond who was stirring the contents of a pot.

"Sanji, please! I'm so hungry!"

The cook freed his foot from the captain's elastic arms and served him a large plate of soup he placed on the table without a word. Immediately, Luffy jumped towards the food and began to swallow it noisily.

"Sit down and eat properly", Sanji ordered him, authoritatively putting him in a chair.

The captain let himself be sat down without his mouth unglue the plate and his cook shook his head before going to get the rest.

When he had come back alone to the Sunny, he hadn't missed Nami's disapproving look on him and he had felt mortified to have to lie to her even if it was for a good cause. He then had prayed the straw hat boy wouldn't antagonize half of the island on his way because the navigator would have unquestionably held him to be partly responsible.

Sanji half-opened the oven door. He had promised Luffy a full meal if he could find a decent gift for Nami and he was a man of his word. However, he first wanted to make sure Luffy had fulfilled his part of the contract.

"What did you buy to Nami?" he asked as the young man was holding out his empty plate to him imploringly.

"This!"

He abruptly put his plate down again and pulled out of his pocket a roughly wrapped parcel. Sanji frowned.

"What is it?"

"Drawing papers! There were all kinds of it so I took everything!"

The blond nodded with satisfaction and filled his captain's plate with a large portion of leg of jamb after removing the gift to protect it. Luffy's eyes lit up.

"Awesome!" he yelled.

He dived toward the food and Sanji turned away to continue his own preparations. He then served Luffy up again three times before he was satisfied.

When he had finally finished, the captain got up and repositioned his hat on his head.

"I'm gonna give Nami her present!" he said, determined.

"Not so fast", his cook stopped him. "Wipe your mouth and wash your hands first. You wouldn't want to ruin everything after doing so much."

"Oh, yeah!"

The young man washed himself quickly before rushing to the door, bursting with impatience, and Sanji quietly followed him, lighting a cigarette.

* * *

"Nami, I got a surprise for you!"

"Huh?"

The navigator raised her head from the newspaper and saw the captain hand her a small packet as he sat down beside her on her deckchair. The crew was waiting for the end of the Log-Pose recharge on the deck, calmly keeping them busy, but at Luffy's words, Nami felt all their friends - minus Zoro who was dozing against the mast and Robin who was glued to her book - suspend their motions and turn their eyes on the scene which was taking place. She also saw Sanji stop a little further and watch them while dragging on his cigarette.

"Uh, thank you", she finally answered as she picked up the packet.

"I want to be forgiven!" Luffy told her with a huge smile.

"Ah."

The red-haired young woman unwrapped the slightly crumpled gift-wrap and pulled out a wad of pages she carefully examined for longs seconds. Finally, she looked up at her captain who was watching her closely.

"Luffy, it's gorgeous", she murmured, sincerely touched.

"So, you like it?" the straw hat boy asked, enthusiastic.

"What is it?" Ussop inquired, approaching with curiosity.

However, he was stopped in his tracks by one of Robin's hands which was holding him tight as she continued reading a little further.

"How could you afford all this?" the navigator went on, testing the paper's quality under her fingers.

"Oh, that? I didn't spend what you gave us on the island, I kept everything!"

"Everything?" the young woman wondered. "But... How did you eat?"

"Well, I didn't but after, Sanji cooked me a huge leg of jamb!"

Nami opened her eyes wide, perfectly incredulous. There was an incredible diversity of types of drawing paper under her fingers: medium grain for charcoal, thin grain for the fat textures needed for color as well as very smooth paper she could use for work with ink and pen. The navigator had no doubts about the price Luffy had had to pay to give her such a large quantity and it was certain he couldn't buy anything else.

The fact he was obviously able to change a meal just to buy her that gift made her smile in spite of herself. Maybe it was what she liked the most. She knew his captain's outsized appetite and the fact he had spend all his money just for the purpose of offering her a present, there was nothing more romantic in her eyes.

She straightened up on her deckchair and grabbed the captain's red jacket before firmly pulling him close to her, planting a passionate kiss on his lips.

"I forgive you, Luffy."

When she pulled away from him to admire her gift again, she noticed the softened or excited looks of their friends on them and she frowned.

"Is that all you have to do, perverts?"

That was enough for everyone to get back to their previous activity while Luffy was starting to laugh.

* * *

 _It's true Luffy got scuffed again but he finished brilliantly, don't you think? He knows what to do when he gets started, it's just not natural for him._

 _It had been a while since we saw Nami and Luffy and next chapters will focus exclusively on Zoro and Sanji so I hope you enjoyed!_


	22. It comes with the job

**Chapter 22**

 **It comes with the job**

About ten days after sailing again, the crew suffered a small storm that tore one of the sails of the Sunny and diverted them from their initial trajectory. With this unexpected detour, food dwindled and the navigator decided to make a stop on a small unknown deserted island they crossed to redo some provisions while waiting for their next destination.

So that afternoon, the crew disembarked on a tiny, lush, tropical-looking island while Franky was staying to repair the sail in order to set off again as soon as they returned. For his part, Luffy hadn't resisted the call of the wild and he had ejected from the Sunny as soon as the coast had been in sight. It was then without him his friends found themselves on the edge of the forest.

"This island is beautiful!" Chopper noticed, watching the huge trees around.

"Let's just hope there's no monster", Ussop begged at his side, frightened.

"It's an empty island which is quite unusual. There's probably a gloomy reason for this desertion", Robin agreed a little further.

"Thank you, I don't need to worry anymore!" the gunner mocked, rolling his eyes.

"Look!" Nami exclaimed. "There are plenty of fruits in the trees!"

"I've never seen anything like it but it reminds me of something", the cook wondered.

"Yeah, did you see that?! It's full of food here!" their captain shouted, coming out of nowhere.

"Where have you been? You could have waited for us!" the navigator reproached him.

The straw hat boy ignored her, busy shaking the trees to make the fruits fall.

"Ahhh!"

Ussop and Brook ran away as it was now raining huge round yellow and red fruits all around them. For his part, Sanji protected the girls by deflecting missiles with precise kicks.

"Luffy, gee, watch out!" Zoro grumbled, holding the little reindeer still trembling in his arms as he sheathed his swords.

"Sorry, guys!" he apologized, laughing as the blond grabbed one of the fruits to examine it.

With that, the captain seized another fruit in order to wolf it down.

"Ouch! Hey, what's that fruit?!"

No matter how much he munched it, the fruit seemed protected by a thick shell he couldn't pierce.

"Let it go, Luffy, you'll have to cut it out", his cook intervened.

"Oh, it sucks!"

"Pick up all this instead of doing anything. You earned the right to carry them to the ship", Nami grinded her teeth in a bad mood.

While the captain was trying to stack the fruits up to carry them without success, the navigator put her mapping equipment on the ground.

"I'm going to take some measurements here", she decided. "Stock everything you can find, next island is several days ahead. We'll meet tonight at the Sunny."

"I'll stay with you, Nami-san!" the cook offered immediately.

The young woman shrugged in agreement and Sanji didn't hold back his joy, starting a dance of love around her.

"Thank you, Nami-san! I'll help you take the measurements of this whole island!"

"Don't push it", the navigator grumbled, passing him her compasses and pencils case.

Leaving Sanji and Nami to their business, the others split into two groups to cover the area more quickly. Robin went off with Ussop and Brook while Chopper was accompanying Zoro. Luffy was still trying to gather all the fruits and they decided to let him wear himself out.

* * *

On the way, the crew's doctor picked up several herbs and plants and arranged them methodically in his little backpack. Zoro and him then found new trees whose fruits were of different colors.

"There's not a lot of meat here", the swordsman sighed after two hours of walking.

"No but there are a lot of these big fruits", Chopper said, pointing to the two under his arms. "An herbal, fruits and vegetables diet is great for heath anyway."

"You tell that to Luffy", Zoro replied and the little reindeer winced.

They arrived at a beach and Chopper calculated they had walked around from east.

"The sun will set soon, we'd better come back", he added, watching the star.

"Okay."

"Uh, Zoro?"

"Hm?"

The doctor gave a small embarrassed laugh.

"It's on the other way."

"Yeah... I knew it."

The fencer followed the reindeer lead and looked around for signs of edible animals all the way back but apart from tiny birds chirping in the branches, he saw nothing.

* * *

When they arrived on the Sunny, Nami and Sanji had already come back and they showed them their meager booty.

"Too bad", the navigator sighed. "We'll eat these fruits, that's something."

The cook stocked them in the kitchen to think about their preparation for dinner and Chopper went drop his herbs down into the infirmary. Shortly after, Robin, Brook and Ussop came back, arms full of fruit but without animal protein.

"Luffy won't like it", the gunner winced.

"You'll just have to fish", Robin suggested.

"By the way, where's Luffy?" Zoro asked.

"He fell asleep in the middle of the fruits", Nami growled. "We couldn't carry him so we left him there."

"How will he come back?" Ussop worried.

"He'll see the Sunny, he's not far", the navigator retorted, shrugging.

* * *

Each one resumed his activities while waiting for the captain and this one actually turned up about thirty minutes later, the fruits contained against his immense elastic belly and held by his arms as well as possible.

"I'm hungry!" he yelled after having set them loose on the deck.

"Well, Sanji hasn't called us yet", the archaeologist noticed.

"That's right", Nami noted. "Usually, we eat earlier than that."

It was enough for Luffy to run to the kitchen, determined to demand his meal loudly.

"Sanji, food!" he shouted as he turned up.

Not seeing his cook around, his elastic hand stretched to pick among the fruit pieces cut in front of him.

"Luffy, no!"

The blond hit him hard on the back, making him spit his piece. The captain turned, annoyed, before seeing his cook collapse on the ground.

"Sanji! What's going on?" he asked anxiously, kneeling beside him.

"Don't ... e-eat the... f-fruits," he stuttered. "They're to-toxic..."

"You ate it?" Luffy realized, seeing him now livid.

The cook nodded painfully and the straw hat boy turned towards the infirmary.

"Chopper!"

Seconds later, the reindeer swung open the door, distraught.

"What's the matter? What's going on?!"

"He ate the fruits and they're toxic!" the captain explained, pointing to Sanji on the ground. "I think he's not feeling well!"

The doctor approached the cook and put a hand on his forehead before wincing. He was burning.

"Carry him to the infirmary", he ordered Luffy while grabbing a fruit from the table before following him.

* * *

"How is he?" Robin asked when the reindeer came out of the infirmary a little later.

"Fever's not breaking but at least, he's sleeping", he explained the crew. "I gave him my usual medications but it doesn't seem to be effective at the moment..."

"We haven't found what this fruit is", Franky sighed.

"Sanji was suspicious on the island, it reminded him of something", Nami remembered. "Maybe we could search in his cookbooks?"

"Good idea!" Luffy agreed. "We have to read these books!"

"You, you're gonna read?" Ussop pointed out with suspicion.

"Let's try to be effective", the navigator chimed in. "Ussop, Zoro and Luffy, fish us something so we don't die of hunger. Robin, Brook and I are going to search Sanji's books. Franky, you finish the repairs and we go as soon as we can. We may need unknown ingredients to treat him and it's better to be close to an island. Chopper, stay with him."

All of them agreed and went to their task. Ussop managed to catch a beautiful fish and then took care of cooking it under Luffy's hungry gaze and the absent one of the swordsman. Franky soon informed them the Sunny could go back to sea and the sails were hoisted to clear off.

Shortly after, the girls and Brook came back to the kitchen. They had thrown the fruits into the sea to stay safe and only the doctor had kept one to study it. Having found nothing interesting for the moment, they ate in silence, anxious for the cook. Brook and Luffy were then designated to take care of the dishes and as they were clearing, Zoro noticed the intact plate of the doctor who hadn't left the bedside of his patient.

* * *

When he entered the infirmary, he saw the little reindeer focused on his book.

"How's he doing?" he asked him, glancing at the blond who was lying on the bed.

"He's weak", Chopper winced. "I couldn't ask him if he knew this fruit. If I knew what it was, I'd know what to give him..."

"I'm sure you'll figure it out" the swordsman answered confidently.

"I hope so..."

"You should rest for five minutes. Ussop prepared fish."

"I don't know if..."

"I'm staying with him until you come back."

"Okay", the doctor capitulated. "Above all, call me if anything happens."

Zoro nodded and Chopper went out, not without taking his book. The swordsman took in the doctor's cluttered table which was collapsing under herbs, books and other multicolored potions. He then approached the sleeping cook, or rather unconscious, and terribly pale. He sighed. He didn't know what to do so he grabbed Chopper's seat to sit in the meantime.

He was examining the integrity of his blades when Sanji brutally moved in his bed. Focusing on him, the swordsman saw him stirring and mumbling something. He then approached, wondering if he wasn't delirious because of the fever.

"V-vi..."

"What?"

Silence answered him but the cook continued to stir.

"Sanji, do you know the name of the fruit you ate?" he asked him.

"Vi... V-vi..."

"A fruit that starts with "vi"?"

The blond sat up abruptly on his bed, making the fencer stepped back in surprise. He then watched his surroundings with a frantic look.

"I'm cold."

Zoro handed him the blanket at his feet and Sanji pulled it awkwardly toward him, his hands shaking. The fencer then grabbed it to help him pass it around his shoulders before sighing.

"You're burning with fever."

"I'm cold", the chef weakly repeated, his icy fingers gripping the swordsman's warm arm.

"I can see that. I'll go get Chopper."

He wanted to go away but the cook didn't let him go and even tightened his grip.

"I need to go get him", Zoro explained, loosening his fingers on his skin.

"Stay for a little while", he whispered.

The swordsman hesitated for a second before nodding and letting him sit more comfortably on the bed, his back resting against the wall.

"What's that fruit?" he asked again.

"I don't know", the blond whispered.

"Just before you wake up, you said something. Something that starts with "vi", maybe?"

"Doesn't ring a bell... I feel like I have already seen it somewhere but I don't know it..."

His sentence had caught all his breath and he slowly closed his eyes, exhausted.

"It's okay. Chopper will find out."

As the cook went back to sleep, Zoro put him back on the bed before leaving the room looking for the doctor.

* * *

The next day, Sanji didn't regain consciousness. Chopper was combing through all his medical books and the girls had finished reading those in the kitchen, without success. The Sunny was sailing to their next destination at a brisk pace in an unusual silence and no one was finding that very reassuring. Luffy and Ussop took turns fishing, Franky and Nami were in charge of staying the course and the cola reserves, Zoro had locked himself in the crow's nest, Brook wasn't daring to sing and Robin was reading in the library.

After dinner, Robin and Franky took care of the dishes and Nami settled for her watch. Brook was staring sadly at the sea, Ussop was busy refilling his supply of explosive balls and Luffy took silently place on the figurehead. Nobody wanted to sleep and Zoro offered to Chopper to stand in for him a few hours because the little reindeer hadn't slept for more than 24 hours but he refused. The swordsman then went back to the crow's nest to train.

When he came back down three hours later, everything was calm and dark on the ship. He watched Nami doze at the front while everyone else had finally gone to bed and he decided to offer the doctor one more time to rest.

The infirmary was just as quiet and he quickly noticed Chopper had fallen asleep on his book. He took him in his arms and laid him in his bed in the middle of the other sleepers then went back to the infirmary and took his place in his seat. The blond hadn't moved since last time and he could almost believe he was sleeping if it wasn't for his frightful pallor and his dull breathing.

Zoro settled into his chair and watched his surroundings. He had every confidence in Chopper and if there was a cure, he was sure he would find it but in the meantime, knowing the cook was in this shape was breaking everyone. The straw hat crew members were renowned for their unwavering bond with each other and what made their greatest strength was also their weakness. If one of them wasn't well, all the others were suffering.

* * *

The fencer awoke with a start when Sanji began to stir and talk in his sleep again.

"Vi... V-vi... Vi..."

Zoro frowned. Why did the blond continue to repeat that since he had eaten that damn fruit? Chopper had also heard him pronounce this syllable without understanding its meaning but it certainly had one. Yes, this had to be connected, the swordsman was sure of it.

"Vi-vi... V-vi..."

Zoro sat up in his chair. Vivi. Not a fruit. A princess! What does this have to do with his intoxication? he wondered. It was totally illogical. Unless Sanji was calling the pretty princess to his bedside in the meanders of his unconscious? This prospect wiped his smile off his face but after all, Sanji was probably a white knight even in a coma.

The rest of the night passed in the same way until the first light of dawn when Chopper appeared again, running. Relieved that Zoro had stayed but pissed off to have fallen asleep, the doctor put him out to look after his patient and that's how the swordsman found himself in the kitchen, sullen, at the side of Robin who was sipping her coffee.

"Any changes?" she asked after a moment.

"No. Except he's calling Vivi now", Zoro grinded.

"The Alabasta princess?" the archaeologist said, surprised. "That's odd..."

"Nah, he must be dreaming of her", he shrugged.

The dark-haired girl said nothing more and finished her coffee in silence while the swordsman grabbed a bottle. It was early and he had nothing in his stomach so it was definitely not a good idea for his lifestyle but nobody would blame him today. And then, he was feeling too helpless, too useless. He needed to soothe his mind a little.

* * *

Screams in the room pulled him out of his alcoholic lethargy a few hours later and he came unstuck of the kitchen table where he had fallen asleep. Brook was whirling around the room and Robin was smiling while Luffy and Ussop were singing in a children's dance.

"Sleeping Beauty is waking up", the navigator teased him at his side. "Good news, Robin found the fruit Sanji has eaten!"

"Oh?"

"It's thanks to you", the archaeologist told him. "The fact that he's calling Vivi wasn't a coincidence. The fruit is listed in one of the books the Alabasta king offered us, I had seen it in the library. That's probably where Sanji saw it too."

"I can make a cure right now!" Chopper cried out, overjoyed. "I have all the ingredients here!"

"Awesome!" Luffy shouted. "Give it to him so he can make us food again, I'm so hungry!"

"You, glutton!" Nami stopped him, slamming her fist on his head. "He'll have to rest so you better not harass him!"

Zoro left them at this juncture. Sanji was going to heal and life would go back to normal so he had no time to lose and even a lot to catch up with. He had neglected his training in the last few hours.

* * *

"I swear I'm okay, Chopper", the cook reassured him two days later.

"But it's barely been 12 hours you're awake!" the doctor worried. "You stayed almost 48 hours in a coma and you have to take another week of treatment so I don't think getting up so fast is a good idea!"

"I'll be careful, promise. I'm only going to take care of the meal and I'll rest, you have my word."

The little reindeer gave in and let him out of the infirmary reluctantly. He couldn't deny his patient was in much better shape but he was far from cured.

For his part, Sanji found his kitchen with satisfaction. He was bored to death to stay lying down doing nothing but he was aware of the extreme tiredness of his body and he didn't intend to go back on his promise to the doctor.

As he grabbed his pans, he felt his muscles painfully protest and he had to stop for a minute to stretch. He then decided to prepare a simple dish of fish and rice to not push himself too hard. Still, he didn't want to surrender nor worry Chopper about his condition and he resolved to make a lemon pie for dessert.

* * *

While the fish was browning in the pan among aromatic herbs, Sanji suddenly heard a loud noise outside and he felt the Sunny's hull creak. He hurriedly cut off his cooker's fire and rushed out despite the weakness of his legs.

He immediately noticed the problem. A huge pirate ship had deliberately bumped into the right side of the Sunny, destroying a part of the railing. On the deck, all the crew members had gathered and Franky seemed particularly furious.

"Fucker, look what you did to my ship!" he yelled towards the opposing captain.

The man in question was looking down on them from the deck of his own boat and his crew of fifty pirates sneered around him.

"Don't worry about your ship, that's not what we care about", he replied condescendingly.

"What do you want then?" Luffy asked him, frowning.

"Food. See, we've been rerouted by a storm and since then, we have nothing left to nosh", he explained calmly. "My men are starting to find that time passes slowly so as a good captain, I find them something to eat."

"You want food? Okay, we can share", the straw hat boy agreed.

The man stared at him for a second before bursting into laughter and his crew imitated him quickly.

"You're too generous! In this case, gimme your treasures too and even your girls. It can't hurt!"

"There's no way your filthy paws touch any of our treasures, you hear me?" Nami threatened him immediately.

"And if you come after the ladies, you'll have a hard time", the cook added, moving closer.

"Sanji, you shouldn't be here!" Chopper scolded him.

"We don't need you, stupid eyebrows", the swordsman added. "You're gonna bother us."

"Like hell I will, marimo head! Even with two legs in plaster, I'd shoot down more than you!" the blond hissed.

"I'd like to see you try", Zoro snickered.

"No, Sanji, you can't be serious!" the doctor got alarmed.

"It's settled, Chopper. Anyway, I'm not gonna stay quietly in the infirmary while these psychos are talking about kidnapping Robin-chan and Nami-san", the blond firmly concluded by lighting his cigarette.

Chopper sighed. He knew there was nothing to do.

"Since you're not cooperative, we're gonna rob you and sink your boat", the opposing captain went on. "So sea monsters won't have to go hungry either."

At these words, he made a motion towards his crew who rushed screaming on the Sunny. Immediately, Luffy stretched out the first ones with Gum-Gum Gatling Gun and Zoro swirled with his swords, blowing his enemies. Nami twirled her magic stick, mad with rage at the thought that someone was going after her treasures.

"Thunderbolt Tempo!"

Lightning struck her opponents and she looked defiantly at the other pirates who hesitated to move forward. Sanji stretched his left leg at her side and got ready for sending a series of kicks to the following ones. Brook took out his own sword and rushed into battle screaming as Chopper was taking his human form to knock out his opponents. As for Ussop, he resolved to move back and fling his explosive balls aloof at those who were still coming down towards them.

Franky then noticed the enemy crew was well organized. While some of them was fighting and keeping occupied the opposing side, the others were sneaking in the storeroom and the kitchen discreetly. He shot a small group that was heading for his cola supply and Robin, who had also understood the maneuver, used her many hands to strangle those who were already getting to their food supply.

It was then that one of the attackers took advantage of the concentration of the young woman to throw a rope in her direction which wrapped around her body, taking her breath away. The archaeologist fell to her knees and four pirates jumped on her to tie her up once and for all.

"Robin!"

Franky rushed towards her but Sanji had been faster and he gave a series of Mouton Shot extremely violent at the four men who collapsed on the deck, dripping with blood. The blond then took a breath while the cyborg was releasing the young brunette.

"Are you all right, Robin-chan?" Sanji asked, looking at her anxiously.

"Thanks to you. Thank you", the archaeologist said, getting rid of her ropes.

"What about you, you holding up, Sanji?" Franky asked, watching him.

"Everything's fine", the cook grumbled, taking a few steps. "If these idiots still go after Robin or Nami, I'll kill them one by one, believe me."

The engineer nodded and followed Robin who had already left again toward the battle to help Ussop.

The blond took deep breaths. Despite his words, his look was blurring and his legs were staggering under his weight. Yet he quickly adjusted his view, looking for Nami to make sure she was fine. He was relieved to see that this was indeed the case before a blow in the back sent him crashing to the ground.

Furious, he straightened to notice his opponent was two meters high and was looking at him with an unhealthy smile. He was waving a chain in front of his eyes and banged it in the air. Sanji clenched his teeth. He was on the verge of exhaustion but he'd rather die than let this big pirate get closer to the girls.

He dashed in his direction and gave him a burst of kicks that made him move back, grunting. His enemy then slammed his chain and the blond avoided it by a small margin. He linked several moves to try to make him lose balance but his weapon was forcing him to make multiple shifting and he was quickly out of breath. His vision was blurred again and he clung on to the rail so as not to slip.

The pirate then gave him a victorious smile and he was about to throw his chain in his face when Chopper appeared at his side.

"Rumble. Guard Point!"

The huge round body of the reindeer deflected the chain but send him rolling on the ground, groggy. He got up nevertheless, ready to protect his patient at all costs. For his part, Sanji tried to get up to help him but his legs didn't carry him anymore.

"Three sword style. Tiger Hunt!"

Their enemy collapsed to the ground and the cook dropped back against the railing. He would never admit it to anyone but today, never mind if the marimo was ahead of him in their competition, he would catch up next time. He then felt the doctor stirring near him.

"You're weak, Sanji, you have to rest!"

"It's gonna be okay, Chopper. Go help the others."

The little reindeer glanced anxiously at his patient then around him. The battle was ending. Brook and Nami were frantically shooting down their weapons on the heads of the last pirates, Luffy had just sent their captain half-unconscious on their boat and Zoro was picking up the bodies of the stunned ones to fling them on their ship. He then sped to Ussop who was wincing, holding his leg beside Robin and Franky.

For his part, Sanji slowly took a breath and forced himself to keep his eyes open until he was sure nothing was threatening the crew anymore. He noticed Luffy was leaving their enemies a good part of their fish supply and he smiled at his generosity to which he himself attached great importance. He then walked like an automaton to his room and dropped himself down fully dressed on the bed.

In spite of all his will and his determination, his already fragile recovery and this surprise attack had finished him. He felt like he could sleep for the next 72 hours without waking up.

"So, you hardly hold on your feet? I don't think you've got half my quota, it's pathetic", the swordsman suddenly snickered on the doorstep.

"Shut up, marimo man. As soon as I get a little rest, I'll make you bite the dust..."

Zoro shook his head, not fooled for a second about his condition.

"Chopper is worried", he said more seriously.

"I'm just a little tired, okay?"

"Okay."

The fencer closed the door and Sanji immediately sank into sleep.

* * *

"Sanji must take his medicine", Chopper repeated, staring at the clock. "Is he still sleeping?"

At his side, Zoro nodded. Night had fallen on the Sunny and the little doctor was gazing at the necessary pills for the cure of the cook. Ussop had taken the first watch and everyone had gone to bed except the swordsman who had gone to examine his left arm that a splinter of wood had reached during his fight. The fencer was particularly irritated at having been wounded in this battle which he considered ridiculous. All because a pirate had landed on the Sunny's railing after one of his attacks and he couldn't avoid the wood that had burst in all directions under the force of the impact. Fortunately, Chopper had quickly disinfected him, assuring it wasn't serious.

"Go to bed. If he doesn't come himself, I'll give it to him later", the swordsman suggested.

"Are you sure? It's really important, Zoro."

"If he doesn't want to take it, I'll call you."

Chopper finally agreed before slowly heading out of the infirmary. As for Zoro, he decided to train a bit more and he went back to the crow's nest.

* * *

When he came back down almost an hour later, the medicine and the glass of water hadn't moved so he grabbed it and headed for the room.

The blond was then awakened by a hand that was shaking him unceremoniously and he immediately felt upset.

"You have to take your treatment", Zoro's voice ordered him above him.

"Don't care, I'm sleeping", he grunted.

"You want me to say that to Chopper?" the swordsman offered him with a smile.

The cook realized what he was exposing himself to and straightened up as best he could.

"Dammit..."

Zoro handed him his medicine and a glass of water Sanji swallowed in one go.

"What time is it?" he suddenly asked, noticing the darkness through the small window.

"Dinner has long passed if that's what worries you", the swordsman answered, leaning against the doorframe.

"Shit! Luffy must have gone crazy!"

"Yeah", Zoro grumbled. "Nami had to knock him out and Robin cooked something. It was gross."

"Oh, Nami-san and Robin-chan!" the cook complained, brutally putting his glass down. "I wanted to make them a lemon pie, I'll do it right now to make amends!"

"Tomorrow. They're sleeping."

"Oh."

Sanji dropped back onto the mattress, still happy not to have to get up so quickly. As Zoro was about to leave, he looked questioningly at him.

"You're not staying?"

"I don't think you're in condition to do anything now", the swordsman pointed out, looking over him from head to toe with a smirk.

"Ah... Yeah, sure", the cook answered after a few seconds.

"What?" the fencer wanted to know, perceiving his hesitation.

"Nothing, you do what you like. Remember? It's just a room."

The swordsman frowned. He wanted to let the cook rest because he badly needed it so what was wrong?

"Tell me what you want", he finally sighed.

Sanji didn't answer immediately then he straightened up and grabbed the fencer by his belt, which made him topple over the bed by his side.

"What are you doing?" Zoro wondered, feeling the blond push him to make a place for himself against his back.

"Shut up and sleep."

The swordsman opened his mouth to reply but Sanji had already closed his eyes and his breath on his neck quickly told him he had gone back to sleep. Incredulous, he didn't dare to move for a moment, watching out for his companion's breathing. Finally, he relaxed and straightened slowly to set his blades down as quietly as possible on their sites before removing his tee-shirt and slip under the sheet in his turn.

* * *

"Sanji?"

Ussop was about to repeat his knocking on the door when it opened on a shirtless and visibly in a bad mood swordsman who closed it behind him.

"What?" he barked.

"It's... time for his watch", the gunner stammered. "I didn't know if he could do it or not so..."

"He's in no condition."

"Oh? Did you warn Chopper?" he inquired anxiously.

"He just needs to sleep. I'm taking his turn."

"You're taking his turn?" the young man repeated, surprised.

"Got a problem with that?" the man in front of him grumbled.

"N-no but you got hurt too yesterday. You want me to ask Luffy?"

"I didn't get hurt!"

Ussop nodded then walked away and Zoro fastened his swords to his hip before slipping his tee-shirt on as he headed for the crow's nest. The night air was cool and he regretted the warmth of his bed and Sanji by his side.

It was no secret the fencer needed an unbelievable amount of sleep but today, the cook didn't even move despite Ussop's loud banging on the door and Zoro had realized he definitely needed more sleep than him.

As soon as he arrived at the look-out, the swordsman stretched his muscles with determination. He would take advantage of the next hours to train anyway because he didn't like the idea of being tricked by opponents he considered weak and he expected not to get caught again.

* * *

 _I hope you guys are doing well. Since first attempt, this chapter has really changed but I like it this way. Hope you too. See you soon._


	23. Exercise in style

_Welcome aboard for the new readers._

 _Enjoy your reading._

* * *

 **Chapter 23**

 **Exercise in style**

Zoro grunted. The pain in his left shoulder was more and more throbbing and he sighed as he put his dumbbell down. He couldn't turn back now, he had to tell Chopper. The swordsman was perfectly furious with himself. Not only had he been hit by a wood splinter during their last battle but in addition, he very likely had an even bigger injury that didn't pass since that day. He was feeling really ridiculous and particularly weak for being had like this.

The fencer glanced through the windows of the crow's nest and noticed calm was prevailing on Grand Line for the moment. Their next destination wouldn't be in sight before ten days according to Nami and the climate hadn't stabilized yet.

The last island they had left two days earlier hadn't been a very pleasant stay. It was packed in a mass of houses and concreted business centers that made the atmosphere uncomfortable and stifling. They had stayed there only to stock up on food and plant, and time enough for Chopper to drag the cook to one of his colleagues to make sure his diagnosis had been correct. Obviously, it was the case but the little reindeer had come out reassured and Sanji had been forced to continue to swallow his medication without the possibility of protesting to permanently eliminate the toxin from his body.

As he sighed again, Zoro made his way to the infirmary and knocked on the door a few minutes later. The little reindeer opened it immediately.

"Can I do something for you, Zoro?" he asked him kindly.

"I get this pain in my left shoulder."

Chopper winced and nodded to him to sit on the bed.

"How long?" he asked, grabbing his instruments.

"Since we fought against these pirates who attacked us."

The doctor twitched.

"I hope you're kidding. It's been days and I've seen you carry huge weights just yesterday. Besides, you didn't tell me about it when I examined your arm!"

"I thought it would pass with a little bit of exercise."

"Zoro..."

Chopper first observed the swordsman's arm where he had got a wood splinter. Wound healing was fine and any mark would completely disappear soon. He then moved the hurt shoulder and didn't miss the little wince of the fencer according to the motions.

"Did you fall on the left side?" he asked him, turning up his patient's tee-shirt to examine it further.

"No. I made a move and I felt an ache. Since that, as soon as I use my shoulder, it's throbbing more and more."

"You have bruises..."

"Oh?"

"Yes, they're in your back along the dorsal muscles."

Chopper then examined the symmetry of the swordsman's shoulders and sighed.

"You have a pretty huge muscle tear. As you continued to force, I guess your body has compensated and you have a slight anterior dislocation of your left shoulder."

"Ah."

"I told you to be careful, Zoro", the little reindeer reproached him. "Your body has been extremely weakened at Thriller Bark and you'll take months to fully get over it. If you continue like this, you'll never recover!"

The swordsman scowled and let the doctor apply cold on his muscle for several minutes, which relaxed him a little. The reindeer correctly repositioned his shoulder and the fencer clenched his teeth although he immediately felt relieved. Chopper then fixed him with an immobilizing sling to hold both his shoulder and prevent the motions of his back muscles.

"No training", the doctor said firmly. "Muscle has to rest for healing. If you're in pain, you need to get some ice. There's nothing else to do."

"How long?" the swordsman inquired, grumpy.

"One to two weeks."

Zoro sighed heavily before getting up and leaving the room. Chopper watched him move away, shaking his head. He knew the swordsman would have a hard time to stay still and he was going to have to watch over him.

* * *

The little reindeer didn't expect to be so right when he bumped into his patient three days later on deck.

"Zoro! Where is your immobilizing sling?!"

Chopper jumped to his side, eyes sparkling with anger.

"I should have fixed it so that you couldn't take it off but I trusted you!" he severely reminded him.

"The pain was gone so I took it off", the fencer answered, shrugging his shoulders.

"You didn't do any work out, do you?!"

Zoro thought for a second.

"No, no. It just bothered me for... something. But anyway, it was less painful."

Chopper sighed.

"It doesn't matter, it's only been three days, you have to keep your sling!" he went on, uncompromising. "Come to the infirmary, I'll fix it to you again."

"I'm telling you there's no need", the swordsman said, walking away. It bothers me..."

"Of course it does, it's meant to immobilize your muscles!" Chopper kept on, rushing behind his patient.

"Chopper, let me go", Zoro grunted, now dragging the little reindeer at his feet.

"No way!" the doctor clutched. "Your muscles must be preserved! You need to rest and it's my duty as a doctor to treat you!"

"Can't you gimme something to make it go faster?"

"I can give you ice packs but you have to stop using your shoulder or you risk having a dislocation again and then it'll probably need surgery!"

The swordsman finally stopped and scowled. He didn't want to waste any more time with a bigger injury.

"Okay..."

The little reindeer got up and pushed him toward the infirmary, delighted. Once inside, he fixed the immobilizing sling again and handed a cooling gel to the swordsman to apply it when necessary.

"A good diet will also help you recover faster", the doctor added.

"What you mean? I thought the cook was already paying attention to food balance?" the fencer wondered.

"Yes but we can strengthen certain food groups to accelerate healing in your case. We should check with Sanji. He's totally getting better now so it shouldn't take him too much time."

"Forget it. He'll never want to do anything special for me and there's no way I'll ask him anyway", the swordsman swept aside.

"I'll tell him it's medical advice!" Chopper decided.

The little doctor then went to the kitchen and Zoro followed him with a sigh.

* * *

"Sanji, Zoro needs a special diet for a few days", the reindeer told him as he entered the kitchen.

"A special diet?" the cook grunted, turning to the newcomers. "What's wrong with this bastard now?"

"It's about his shoulder dislocation and his muscle tear", Chopper answered in a professional tone. "Proper nutrition can help heal it faster."

"That's because you can't sit still for five minutes, do you?" the blond realized, staring badly at the fencer. "And now, it's up to me to make up for your congenital imbecility! You think I don't have enough work to do?!"

"I didn't ask you anything, shitty cook!" the swordsman replied, furious. "It's Chopper who absolutely wants to cure me!"

"Of course, he does! He's a doctor, you idiot! And you, you're the worst patient!"

"Sanji, please, it's really important", Chopper suddenly implored him.

The reindeer gave him his most pleading eyes and the blond couldn't help but find him adorable. Softened, he put his cigarette butt back between his lips.

"All right, Chopper, I'm gonna make special marimo menu for a while. I'll focus on fibers and proteins."

"Don't bring down the number of calories too much. Zoro has a considerable muscle mass and his energy expenditure, even without activity, remains very high."

"Okay. So white meat, fish, vegetable protein, vegetables and fruits?"

"Perfect, thank you, Sanji! Zoro can help you if you wa-"

"That's not gonna happen" he cut him brutally. "He'll just make me lose time, this moron."

"And I don't wanna spend more with this curly eyebrow", the swordsman added in the same tone.

"All right", the reindeer sighed, shrugging his shoulders. "But that would have forced you to stay a little quiet, Zoro. It'd be a shame to waste everything."

"Clearly, you better not move an inch if I work my ass off for that", the blond gritted.

Chopper then went to the door to take leave before turning around and staring at his two friends very seriously.

"One last thing. I told Zoro not to do any physical activity involving his shoulder and that means not a single one. It's not because it isn't a training that muscles aren't used and if the shoulder is dislocated again too quickly, I'd immobilize it completely."

"What?" the swordsman protested. "But-"

"And I'll ask Luffy to order you", the little reindeer threatened him. "I trust you both", he concluded as he left.

* * *

Sanji and Zoro heard the door close behind the reindeer with relief, blushing.

"Fuck, marimo, it was pretty humiliating to be lectured by Chopper", the blond noted after a few seconds of silence.

"If you hadn't jumped on me last night though", the swordsman grumbled.

"Are you serious?! It's you who turned up like an animal in heat in my kitchen!" the cook got indignant. "Besides, you had removed your sling, I thought you were cured!"

"What was I supposed to do with that thing when you told me you were, I quote, "so hot even if Luffy came in for his meat, we'd continue to fuck madly"?

Red as a tomato, Sanji hit him on his bruised shoulder.

"Of course, moron! I was finally able to do something since that fucking poisoning!"

Zoro replied with a mocking smile to the memory of their evening and the blond sighed before pointing out a chair to his companion.

"Okay. Put your ass here and stay there."

"Why?" the swordsman wondered.

"How long will you last without jumping on me or training?" the cook snickered in his turn. "Don't you wanna heal as fast as you can?"

The swordsman stared at the chair for a moment before sitting down with determination.

"Chopper thinks that in a week or two, I'll be all patched up."

"Well, we're lucky 'cause usually, we need a good month."

The fencer nodded gravely and watched Sanji resume the rinsing of his vegetables.

"And what do I do?" he asked him.

"I guess alcohol isn't recommended so get some water, it'll change you. Hydration is essential for a good recovery anyway", the blond replied, shrugging his shoulders.

"If you say so."

Zoro grabbed a glass and a bottle of water. He drank slowly but at the end of the third glass, he sighed. Water wasn't as good as his sake and he was still bored.

"Gimme something to cut", he suddenly asked the cook.

"To cut?"

"Yeah, that's the thing for which I should be the most gifted."

Sanji winced and gazed at his vegetables.

"Okay, make me a julienne", he decided. "But no sword!"

He set him two knives and vegetables down on the table before turning away to clean out fishes. Zoro picked up all the vegetables and one of the knives before closely examining it.

"Oh, cook."

"Hm?"

"What's a julienne?"

The blond sighed deeply. He had told Chopper the swordsman wouldn't save him time...

"These are small sticks."

Zoro looked carefully at the vegetables in front of him. He used his left hand constrained by the sling to trap an eggplant and raised his knife, ready to crosscut it.

"Fuck, marimo, don't do that!"

Sanji snatched the knife from his hands, furious.

"You'll cut the table with your primate strength if you stand like that! And what's that knife? There's a good reason I put two! I'll show you..."

The cook took a carrot.

"First, you peel it. Then you make small segments and you cut the edges to have a stable and aesthetic base. Now you take the other knife, you make the smallest slices possible, you stack them... There you go!"

Sanji had illustrated each of his words by the realization of his motion and he passed his utensils to the swordsman with a smile. This one had watched him with concentration. This slicing story was a little crazy and too full of manners to his taste but it was eventually about cutting so he could do it.

As the blond moved away, he positioned all his vegetables one behind the other to save time and crashed his blade down at the speed of lightning. Moments later, he watched his result, satisfied.

"It's done."

Sanji glanced curiously at his vegetables and bit his lip.

"What? That's not so bad", the swordsman showed him.

"The problem isn't cutting, Cactus-kun", he sighed.

Zoro stared at his sticks, frowning.

"You forgot to peel them, idiot", the blond showed him.

"Oh, yeah. No big deal."

"No big deal?! In this case, it'll be you who'll eat them!" he became enraged. "That's it, cook some noodles for your meal, I'll add fish and then get the hell out of here. I'll go faster alone."

"Can I have rice instead?"

"No, I planned noodles with broth."

"I'd like rice", the fencer mumbled.

The cook turned and stared at him for a moment, puzzled.

"What's got into you, marimo head? Since when you're such a nuisance about food?"

Zoro scowled and folded his arms. Sanji rolled his eyes.

"I know it's hard for you to not move but just ride it out. I'll make you rice balls for dinner, okay?"

As the swordsman was smiling again, the blond took pity on his companion.

"Forget about the noodles and go take a nap. I know you're good at it."

The fencer nodded and walked out of the kitchen toward the ship's sunny lawn.

* * *

Three more days had stretched for the swordsman. The absence of activity was a real ordeal, especially since everyone was quietly keeping themselves busy around him. All had assumed he would take advantage of his forced rest to increase his sleep time and this would certainly have been the case in normal times but for once, Zoro was annoyed.

Chopper was attributing his grumpiness to his instructions and had several times apologized while still maintaining his orders. To keep him busy, Luffy had showed him how to fish but the fencer had been so bored he had preferred to give up. To top it off, Sanji was standing his ground and they weren't doing anything that could have relaxed him in any way...

Secluded in the crow's nest, Zoro had fallen back on meditation that morning but that wasn't enough. His body needed exercise. Especially when he felt it weaker than usual. In the security of his brain, the fencer had finally admitted it. He was worried. His body had never been lacking so far and he didn't understand why his stamina seemed diminished lately.

After two hours of focusing, he wanted to change his activity, hoping to relieve his mind. He got up and grabbed his swords to clean them somehow despite his immobilized arm.

A few minutes later, he heard the trap door open and saw Sanji brutally place a plate in front of him. The blond seemed to be in a bad mood.

"You didn't come to eat, stupid musclehead", the cook reproached him. "Maybe you think I'm at your service and I'll come to serve you at home every time?!"

"Why did you do it then?" the swordsman replied just as aggressively, failing to say he had simply forgotten mealtime.

"I'm stuck with preparing meals specially for you, moron, I won't waste them in addition!"

Zoro shrugged and continued his activity without making a move toward the plate.

"Yeah, well, you shouldn't have. I can eat like everyone else, no need to get all worked up over."

Sanji frowned at his lack of repartee.

"What's happening to you, marimo? You're even weirder than usual since a few days", he pointed out to him in exasperation.

Zoro shrugged again but seemed to scowl a little more.

"Don't tell me it's your wound that getting you so upset about", the blond continued. "In a few days, you'll be able to hurt yourself as much as you want, you know?"

"Exactly", the swordsman grumbled.

"Exactly what?" the cook kept on, the fencer attitude puzzling him.

"I can't stop hurting myself lately", he mumbled half-heartedly.

Sanji stared at him in disbelief for a moment before rolling his eyes.

"Of course, marimo! Did you see the way you treat your body? It's like a miracle you're still standing!"

The cook was going to dump this stupid swordsman there to return to his business when he noticed his posture more withdrawn and less proud than usual. He stopped and looked over him more carefully. Zoro's shoulders were low and despite his obvious care for his weapons at all times, his gaze seemed preoccupied as he cleaned them. Sanji felt as though he perceived the true measure of his spirit injury. Zoro treasured his body, it was the extension of his blades and an essential instrument to pursue his dream.

The blond took the time to light a cigarette and slowly turned to the fencer who couldn't take his eyes off his swords.

"Chopper said it'd take you a while to recover from Thriller Bark, you just have to be patient. Your condition is only temporary", he said, blowing his smoke.

"And what if it's not?" the swordsman grumbled as his gaze was still on his blades.

Sanji seemed to think for a few seconds before smiling at him even though Zoro couldn't see him.

"If it's not, I know you'll find a way, marimo. I don't know anyone so stupidly stubborn as you when it comes to be the best so I have no doubt you're gonna make it."

With that, the cook quietly slipped away and the swordsman finally raised his eyes to his now absent figure, letting his words warming his heart despite himself.

* * *

The next day, Sanji brought drinks to his friends in the middle of the afternoon and he found Brook and Zoro on deck, visibly being busy with sword fighting against each other. The cook immediately wanted to protest. He didn't do particular menus and have a restriction of sexual activity so that the swordsman could waste everything as soon as he had his back turned!

"Marimo, are you serious?!" he barked as he approached. "You remember what Chopper said or your memory is shorter than the one of a goldfish?!"

"Shut up, swirly", the man replied while parrying a stroke of the musician. "You can see that I respect his instructions."

"You respect his instructions?" the blond repeated, setting abruptly his glasses down not far from the fighters. "Are you fucking kidding me, stupid?!"

Zoro and Brook ended their fight and the skeleton approached to get a glass, terribly out of breath.

"Do not worry, my friend, this is a simple training for him", he assured him, wiping his face.

"I kept my sling", the swordsman added, showing it to him. "With a single blade to perfect my Ittoryu techniques."

"I'm not sure Chopper would approve", the blond still mumbled.

"Doesn't matter. I found a way."

The swordsman gave the cook a shining glance of determination to remind him of his words the day before, before emptying his glass in one gulp. This one sighed. To say that it was him who had given him this idea...

The musician then dropped to the ground to catch his breath.

"Just one sword and an immobilized arm, and I'm already on the verge of fainting", he complained. "Sanji-san, I do not know how you can stand up to him with his three blades..."

The latter shrugged.

"He's predictable."

"Bullshit!" the fencer immediately protested. "I'll take you on whenever you want, shitty cook!"

"Gladly, marimo man, but I think I remember you must first recover, don't you?"

The cook emphasized his double meaning answer with a suggestive smile and Zoro's eyes widened. He then glanced at the skeleton sprawled on the ground who didn't seem to have understood their true exchange before straightening his head, a glimmer of defiance deep into his eyes.

"I'm counting on it. And the sooner the better."

Sanji nodded as he looked back at him and took the glasses back before returning to his kitchen with a smile on his face. After all, he was delighted the fencer got back on his feet again.

* * *

Four days later, Sanji put his towel back down after the dinner dishes. He glanced at the kitchen clock and gave a hint of a smile. It was finally time to meet the swordsman.

They day before, Chopper had allowed him to remove his sling and since then, the best Zoro could come up with was to lock himself at the crow's nest to train tirelessly. In the evening, the blond had been annoyed to note that his crewmate didn't intend to go down and that visibly, improvement of his body was more important to him than anything else. However, he hadn't come to make a scene. As if the fencer needed to know his frustration was reaching a peak...

Yet tonight, Sanji was determined to demand thanks if only for all the efforts he had made. He then went quickly to their room and appreciated finding the swordsman there. Unfortunately, his enthusiasm was dampened by his wince when he saw him roll his left shoulder.

"I thought you didn't feel pain anymore", he attacked, frowning.

"I pushed a little earlier", the fencer grumbled. "As Chopper allowed me to resume training, I wanted to catch up the delay."

"I don't fuckin' believe this, you can't start that again!" the cook lost his temper. "After all the efforts I made!"

"Don't tell him", the swordsman muttered. "I don't wanna him yell at me again."

To call himself down, Sanji suddenly grabbed the cooling gel on the shelf the little reindeer had given the fencer.

"Turn around, I'll put you some."

The swordsman frowned and the blond shook the bottle in front of his eyes, furious.

"You better treat it right now 'cause there's no way I'll be penalized on account of your bullshit again, is that clear?!"

The fencer gave him a smug smile back.

"Pervert cook."

Sanji shrugged.

"Lame swordsman."

Responding to his provocation, Zoro wanted to approach the cook but this one brandished the gel under his nose again. Maybe the blond was dependent on his hormones right now but he had always more common sense than his shipmate and he knew that not dealing with the problem right away would aggravate it in the future. And he still preferred to postpone his activity for a few minutes rather than a few days.

In front of his intransigence, the fencer sighed before acquiescing. He turned his back on the cook and pulled off his tee-shirt. Sanji then put a good amount of gel in the palm of his hand and applied it to the swordsman's left shoulder blade who flinched.

"It's cold", the chef confirmed with a mocking smile.

Zoro jabbered something unintelligible and the cook massaged his shoulder to get the substance in. The fencer's muscles were tensed under his fingers and Sanji frowned. He then used his second hand to massage his right shoulder and Zoro grunted.

"What are you doing?"

"I think your muscles are contracted on the left. I'd like to compare."

After a few moments, the blond shook his head.

"The other side is also tensed, but less. You really should be careful."

"Yeah, yeah..."

Sanji continued his motions for a few more minutes, playing his fingers along the shoulders and scapulae of his crewmate. He felt the swordsman relax bit by bit and the cook suddenly became aware of the tanned, thin skin that ran under his hands. He then increased some movements by slowing down while spreading the perimeter of his massage. Now that his duty was done, nothing prevented him from taking the swordsman where he wanted... Besides, for his part, the latter wasn't flinching and was obviously enjoying the sensation on his muscles.

"Feeling better?" the cook inquired after a moment.

Zoro rolled his shoulders again as the blond had stopped moving before stretching.

"Cold seems effective."

Sanji pouted. The fencer didn't seem to be aware his massage was also supposed to give him other desires...

Not wanting to despair, the blond pushed him toward the bed and settled on his back but Zoro tensed, half-turning.

"What's the matter with you now?"

"Shup up, marimo. Enjoy."

The cook pushed him back onto the bed and grabbed the gel again before spreading it over the back of the fencer whose skin shuddered. He then began his massage, starting this time from the base of his neck to his shoulders, his shoulder blades, and then following his entire spine to his hips.

The gel was gliding his hands along his skin and the swordsman gave a small sigh of contentment while closing his eyes. Delighted, Sanji rolled the skin under his fingers for long minutes, taking care to let his hands linger on the small of the fencer's back before gradually lowering the intensity of his massage until he just put light caresses all along his back.

When he finally stepped aside with a smile on his face, he expected Zoro to immediately rush at him but this one didn't move. Sanji then frowned as he saw the swordsman had fallen asleep and he rolled his eyes. After all, he didn't know if he should feel offended or happy the marimo had fallen asleep because it proved at least his massage had relaxed him enough.

He gazed at the swordsman's body whose breathing regularly lifted his chest and hesitated on what to do. He could wake up Zoro and take things in hand but his peaceful look stopped him. Still, he didn't want to get back to his bed in the boys' quarter either and he preferred to stay here to enjoy the room's tranquility.

Sanji sighed. The only time Zoro and he had slept together without enjoying each other was dating back to the last attack the crew had suffered when he was recovering from poisoning. He had wanted to feel his impressive presence against him without knowing why and his extreme fatigue had prevented him from thinking too much about his actions. He didn't know exactly what the swordsman had thought of if but he remembered he hadn't rejected him.

Sanji finally shrugged and straightened up to undress. Zoro had let himself go that night so if he woke up and didn't like his presence, he could still leave.

When he slipped between the sheets after turning off the light, the fencer grunted beside him. Half awake, he lifted himself slightly and tried to slip into bed in his turn. Amused, Sanji watched him struggle with the rest of his clothes and collapse on his pillow as soon as he managed to do it.

"It was a barely decent massage, darts eyebrow", he mumbled, already asleep.

The blond smiled and turned to his side of the bed. He knew very well the swordsman didn't mean a word of this. This nice certainty in mind, the cook fell asleep quietly to the sound of his crewmate's breathing.

* * *

 _From now on, their relationship will clearly change._

 _When, how and why, you'll know it pretty soon!_


	24. A serious problem

**Chapter 24**

 **A serious problem**

Next morning, the cook opened his eyes and noticed the sun was starting to filter through the window. It was time for him to get up. He wanted to get out of bed but the swordsman had put an arm around his belly and when he moved to free himself, he was sucked into a possessive grip that pinned him on the back, Zoro's arm firmly enclosing his waist.

"I gotta get up, marimo swordsman. I don't have time for photosynthesis."

"Stay a little longer..."

"It's my job to feed the crew. Imagine if Luffy gets up and doesn't see breakfast? He's capable of eating the ship."

A grunt answered him and Sanji got amused. A first glance, Zoro may have had other ideas in mind but his tiredness was the strongest this morning.

"Five minutes", the sleepy marimo pleaded.

"Five minutes? What you gonna do with five minutes?" the cook sneered.

"Five minutes for sleeping. Pervert."

"I'm not buying it."

Sanji raised an eyebrow before suppressing a laugh when he noticed the swordsman wasn't moving anymore. Apparently, Zoro hadn't lied and he thought he had gone back to sleep that fast until the latter lazily walked his fingers over his stomach. He was visibly fighting against sleep and his moves were slow and irregular.

Sanji grabbed his pack of cigarettes and lit one. He was feeling strangely good while smoking in his bed beside the marimo. He noticed the fencer was continuing to stroke him with his fingertips and his gaze lingered on the scene as he pulled on his cigarette butt. It wasn't Zoro's habit to indulge in such gestures and he suddenly felt a strange thrill running through his skin.

What was this new sensation? A deep concern spread over him at this thought. The clumsy touch of the swordsman's hand on his stomach and his sleepy face sent him a different image than the one of two lovers held by the simple link of carnal attraction. There was something else. Something else was going up in him as he was watching Zoro this morning.

His eyes began to look over with curiosity the manly figure of his body, powerful and dominant. The cook could see his muscles perfectly drawn under his tanned skin which followed the rhythm of his slow and deep breathing. When he was sleeping, the swordsman was displaying a peaceful look that contrasted with the one that usually characterized him, sullen and indifferent at the same time. His ruthless will, that was springing as soon as he was opening his eyes, was contained behind the mask of sleep, making him more human. More approachable.

Sanji frowned. Of course, he had already seen all of this but he hadn't paid attention to it before. Or, not in that way. Not with this surprising need to rave about this feeling of beauty that emitted from the swordsman in spite of himself.

Sanji tensed slightly but the swordsman didn't notice. His fingers had finally ended up on the blond's hips and he had gone back to sleep.

The cook quickly put his cigarette out and slipped out of the sheets before grabbing his things and heading for the kitchen. He was certainly a little late but above all, he didn't want to extend his thoughts.

* * *

The crew had breakfast with great appetite, as usual, and Sanji was busy enough for several hours to forget his morning torments until a burst of voices was heard outside. He poked his head out and saw the navigator beat time with her foot on the deck, glaring at Chopper, Ussop and Brook.

Puzzled, he came down towards them and saw Zoro emerge from the waves and then clamber aboard by their side, Luffy on his shoulder.

"What happened?" he inquired as Franky and Robin were approaching as well.

"It happened that those idiots are never short of ideas to invent the worst stupidities!" Nami huffed, fists on her hips.

Indeed, Sanji noticed a long trail of mud on the deck and fragments of equipment and he gave his friends a questioning look.

"We used Franky's latest invention to imitate birds", Chopper began, lowering his head. "It looked like a jet-pack, we thought it wasn't dangerous..."

"We did a test but compressed air was too violent so we thought an attenuation system would absorb the rebound effect", Ussop admitted, wincing. "We mixed soil from the garden with water to obtain an enough soft mud and we locked it up in a large balloon."

"It was fixed to the jet-pack and everything seemed to work but unfortunately, after a few moments, the power of the compressed air made the balloon exploded in full flight. Our captain had wanted to test it first and he found himself in the ocean", the musician finished with guilt.

"It was...t-too cool", the concerned coughed as he was spiting water from his lungs next to the swordsman who was silently dripping.

The cyborg picked up pieces of his invention, shaking his head.

"I suspected cola power mixed with air would be too important to handle it properly."

He sighed as he quickly wiped the mud puddles on the ship.

"My poor Sunny, it's you who paid the price. Don't worry, I'll fix it..."

The naval engineer went away and came back with his arms full with cleaning products. He was about to start scrubbing when Nami stopped him with a wave of her arm.

"Wait, Franky."

The latter froze, surprised, and Nami looked daggers at the troublemakers before returning her attention to the entire crew.

"We're all going to take care of the Sunny. It's so dirty I can hardly believe it", she showed them. "It can't go on like that and Franky doesn't have to be the only one to clean up."

She distributed without waiting buckets, mops, cloths and products to the crew members who tried to hide their resentment in front of the turn of events.

"If we all work together, it won't be long", she firmly continued. "Franky and Ussop, you take care of your workshops and the engine room. Sanji-kun, the kitchen and the storeroom. Chopper, the infirmary and the hold. Zoro, the crow's nest and the boys' bathroom. Luffy and Brook, the front and back decks. Robin and I take care of the library and the garden."

"Robin could take care of it!" Luffy intervened. "She could do it all at once!"

The navigator turned to him, furious.

"Robin isn't a maid! Besides, we must all make efforts for the Sunny. This is our ship but also our home and we must show it a little respect!"

Everyone agreed with her words and Nami put a hand on her hip.

"Come on, get to work", she curtly ordered them. "I'll come by to check the result. And Luffy, don't forget the figurehead. You've put footprints everywhere by sitting on it all the time!"

* * *

The rest of the morning quickly passed in the middle of chores and Sanji distributed sandwiches at lunchtime as Nami didn't want to hide behind the meal to stop their tasks. So at the end of the afternoon, the young woman went to do an inspection.

"Chopper, how is it going?" she asked, poking her head around the door.

"It's all right", the little reindeer showed her.

The infirmary was shining and he had spent a good part of the afternoon reorganizing the hold and dusting it off. Nami nodded with satisfaction before heading to the kitchen next door.

"Sanji-kun, are you done?" she asked as she entered the room.

"Of course, Nami-san!" the blond whirled. "I made you a tangerine juice after all your efforts!"

He handed her a drink and the navigator took it with pleasure. She then took a look at the reserve room to check his claims then confirmed him he had done a good job. Although he was frolicking around her as usual while she was inspecting his work, the cook didn't add that this entertainment hadn't been enough to make him forget the strange feeling he had felt this morning in the presence of the fencer.

Unaware of his torments, Nami had her drink and resumed her tour to the workshops. She watched the sharpness of the rooms Ussop and Franky had cleaned and went in a good mood towards the deck. So far, everyone had played the game and she was delighted about it. Robin and she had also taken special care to dust off the books in the library, polish the large windows and weed the garden.

She then went to the back deck where the skeleton was still scouring the ground.

"That's good work, Brook", she noted. "I think the deck has never been so clean."

"Thank you, Nami-san!" the skeleton answered enthusiastically.

The navigator then walked to the front deck but quickly froze when she saw the captain's silhouette, deeply asleep on the figurehead.

"Luffy!" she yelled, throwing his mop in his face. "How dare you let your crew doing all the work?!"

"I just fell asleep!" the young man assured her, frantic. "I cleaned so much since earlier, it tired me out. I need to take a very small break, that's all!"

"Scrub, and be quick about it!" she roared as the captain was slowly picking up his mop.

The young woman went up to the crow's nest to complete her inspection, ranting, and when she entered the room, she cursed again.

"You have to be kidding, you all have a problem or what?!"

She flung the water bucket she hoped was dirty on the sleeping swordsman and the latter sat up, dazed.

"I bet you didn't even start the bathroom yet, you bear!" Nami yelled in his ears. "Look at the state of the windows, you barely did half here!"

Zoro put up with a grunt in front of the reproaches avalanche which was continuing and he narrowly avoided being hit by the brush. He didn't have much to say for his defense. He actually hadn't cleaned the bathroom and he had just started the one of the crow's nest after lunch that an irrepressible need to sleep had seized him. Apparently, his nap had exceeded the few minutes of rest he had wanted to take...

"You won't get away with it, I can promise you that!" the redhead roared as she finally left again. "I want the crow's nest to shine by tonight and you'll do the bathroom during the night if you have to!"

After she left, Zoro sighed before stretching for a long time. He was going to hurry up to finish the crow's nest and he would have finished the bathroom well before dinner, he was sure of it.

* * *

Unfortunately for the swordsman, that didn't happen and Sanji called them for dinner before he even approached the bathroom. At least, the crow's nest was sparkling and he was quite proud of his work. He then hoped for a moment the navigator would be lenient before facing reality: Nami would never show any compassion to anyone.  
And as he had foreseen it, she caught the captain and his first mate at the end of the meal.

"Those who fell asleep earlier won't go to bed before they finish their chore", she reminded them, glaring at them. "Luffy, you still have the figurehead and Zoro, the bathroom."

"Oh, please, Nami!" the straw hat boy pleaded. "We can do it tomorrow!"

"No way", the young woman barked. "Tomorrow, you'll fall asleep again!"

The captain sulked while the swordsman was grabbing some products before heading for the bathroom. The sooner he would finish, the faster he would go to bed.

* * *

When Zoro entered the room, the size of the task appeared to him and he sighed. The boys' bathroom was a real mess. Apart from Sanji who was making a point of putting his things away, all the others were leaving it lying around everywhere and no one was thinking to rinse or wipe when water sprays were landing on the floor or on the walls.  
The fencer was already feeling tired but he shook himself. He then decided to start with the tub and generously applied cleaning product. However, he quickly realized he had put too much and he was left with an infinite amount of lather he couldn't rinse. Annoyed by this extra work, he dropped it for a moment to clean the toilet and the sink, this time paying attention to the amount poured. When he came back to the tub, the lather was still present in large quantities and he decided to leave the water running to make it disappear. Meanwhile, he wiped the two large mirrors but to his utter despair, marks were reappearing at the same rate as he erased it.

As he was at last reaching a satisfying result, he noticed steam was beginning to invade the room, and thus the mirrors. He rushed to turn off the hot water that was still pouring into the tub and sighed again. He then began to profusely rinse again but combined with the heat, he was getting it all over the floor which soon became an ice rink.

When he finally got rid of the lather, he prepared the mop in his bucket and scrubbed the floor vigorously before flushing it with plenty of water.

He suddenly heard the door creak on its hinges and saw the cook poke his head through the half-open door. His mocking look immediately irritated him.

"What?" he barked.

"It's been two hours you're here, cactus head. I was afraid you drowned."

"Whatever", the other grumbled, unable to hide his little too fast breath.

The blond entered the room and watched him for a moment.

"Looks like you two fought and the bathroom won", he then pointed out to him.

Zoro shrugged and rinsed then wrung his mop while Sanji let his gaze linger on his half-naked body. The swordsman had taken his tee-shirt off in his fight and humidity had stuck his hair on his forehead and neck. The blond bit his lip to not find him attractive but it was a lost cause. Zoro was sexier than the devil himself at that moment.

The fencer finally put the mop down in the bucket and he washed his hands before grabbing a towel to wipe his face as well. Sanji didn't miss on this occasion the movements of his muscles back and shoulders that suddenly gave him the need to slip into his powerful arms to be kissed and stroked.

The cook mentally slapped himself at this occasion. He looked like an idiot completely enamored of another idiot with such thoughts. However, if he put aside the almost sentimental nature of his reasoning, he didn't deny the devouring desire that was growing in him.

"What now?" the swordsman brutally asked, noticing his eyes on him.

"Come here, marimo", he then ordered him.

His smooth voice and his glowing look no doubt dissuaded the fencer from protesting and he approached with a smirk.

Sanji threw himself onto his lips and strapped to the naked swordsman's chest who received him against him, immediately playing with his tongue in his mouth. The blond ran his hands behind the fencer's neck to bring him even closer and Zoro did the same behind his back to deepen their kiss. Very quickly, the cook put his fingers in the hair of his crewmate that were so special while he was catching his breath by slightly lifting away his lips to better dive again a second later.

Eyes still closed, he let his hands firmly sliding down the fencer's chest who muffled a sigh against his lips as he passed. Sanji then put a hand on the bump that was already deforming the swordsman's pants and this one seemed to redouble his kisses and caresses against his back. Terribly excited, the blond fumbled until he found the belt to undo it.

"You're in a hurry tonight", Zoro pointed out to him between passionate kisses.

"So don't keep me waiting", the cook whispered back.

"Just a sec."

The fencer unglued of the warm body against his and smirked when Sanji glared at him, panting and cheeks red.

"I just wanna..."

Zoro then quietly applied himself to unbuttoning the cook's jacket as this one was staring at him in disbelief.

"What are you doing?"

"Every time, you sulking 'cause I'm being too rough. Now I do this right so don't complain", the other mumbled, focused.

Sanji continued to stare at Zoro's clumsy hands, a few inches from his chest, and held his breath without moving. This moment seemed infinitely delicate to him and it impressed him from the fencer. Finally, the latter finished his task and slid the jacket off his shoulders before taking aim at the shirt.

When he undid the last button, Sanji released his breath and looked up at him, confused. Zoro then moved a lock of his hair that was falling in front of his only visible eye with an amused smile and the cook felt himself shudder at his touch.

"Here you go."

Sanji realized he didn't know how to behave anymore after those actions he didn't expect, but fortunately Zoro took charge of the situation.

"We should go to the room, it'll be better", he suggested him with a knowing smile.

The blond only nodded and tightened the sides of his shirt when the fresh air made him shiver outside.

* * *

The swordsman didn't linger and abruptly closed the door behind them as soon as they entered. He hadn't bothered putting his shirt back and he grabbed the blond in his arms before brutally kissing him. Sanji felt he was coming to his senses as the fencer's fingers were now gripping his bare skin under his shirt and he finally began to remove the belt that was in the way a little earlier. Immediately, he untied the button from the pants and plunged his hand inside, getting a sigh from the swordsman who pressed his hips towards him in response.

Now confident again, Sanji pushed him firmly against the left wall and massaged the hard member impatiently over the last garment. Zoro began to gasp while continuing his caresses and kisses before coming to a stop.

"E-Easy, cook. I'm not gonna last at this rate..."

"I don't care", the cook replied, throwing his lips roughly on his. "I just want to."

With a sharp blow, he cleared the last clothes that bothered him and the breathing of the swordsman quickened further when he felt the blond's fingers wrap around him. His hands tightened instinctively around the shirt and then directly on the hot skin of the cook. In response, this one immediately began rapid motions and Zoro grunted against his mouth that kept claiming him.

Sanji was feeling his own excitement soar and he used his other hand to loosen his own pants. The swordsman noticed his game and helped him taking down his pants and his boxer a little, seizing in his turn his erected cock. The cook sighed softly before speeding up his own moves, forcing Zoro to lean a little more against the wall behind him, gasping for breath. Sanji then buried his head in the hollow of his right shoulder and began to kiss it feverishly.

The blond couldn't keep up. He didn't know if the muffled groans he was hearing were his or Zoro's, but what he was sure of was he had rarely experienced such pleasure with so little contact. He wanted to melt into the hot muscles mass that were surrounding him and to become soaked with the swordsman masculine scent forever.  
He straightened slightly and saw that the fencer was now out of breath. His body was gleaming under the dim light of their room and his contracted belly was letting guess the pleasure to which he was subjected while the hand of the blond was hurrying up faster and faster, making him close his eyes. Sanji found this image of the swordsman incredibly erotic and he brutally set his lips down against his again, making their teeth rattle through frantic kisses. Pleasure was rising from all sides in him, the swordsman's hot hand around his member following the rhythm he was imposing on his.

Sanji suddenly felt the fencer's hand go up to the back of his neck and this one tensed in a hoarse groan, bringing their two faces together for a last fiery kiss. The sensation was enough for the cook to catch him up and they freed themselves almost simultaneously in the hand of the other, short of breath and legs shaking.

"Fuck... We didn't last long", the swordsman whispered as he was catching his breath.

Sanji vaguely nodded. He was slowly coming back from his orgasm and adjusted his eyes to see Zoro wasn't moving either. He took advantage of the sensation for a few moments again before slowly getting out of the grip of the swordsman while he was relaxing his. Their pants were still hanging to their hips and his crumpled shirt had been stained. He grabbed a pack of tissues with his fingertips and took one before handing the pack to the fencer while avoiding his gaze. He didn't know why he was feeling so strange all of a sudden, both overwhelmed and uncomfortable, and he took a cigarette and his lighter.

For his part, Zoro quickly got rid of his last clothes and then fell on the bed, a satisfied smile on the lips. Sanji removed his more slowly before settling down by his side and watching the ceiling as he blew smoke from his cigarette. Outside, the night was pitch black and the wind was rising, gently rolling the Sunny on the waves.

The cook shivered and adjusted the sheets on him while enjoying the warmth of the body next to his own that was finishing catching his breath. He then glanced curiously at his crewmate. He would have imagined wanting to go at it again, but tonight, after the gratification of this passionate desire, it wasn't what he was looking for.

"Tell me about Kuina, marimo."

"What, now?" a sleepy voice answered him.

"We never speak except in these moments."

The blond turned his head towards the swordsman. The latter seemed already ready to fly to dreamland so he shook him a little.

"Tell me", he urged.

"What you wanna know?" the fencer grumbled.

"How was she?"

The swordsman shrugged.

"You remember when we finished the Davy Back Fight with this crazy Foxy and we came across this island where a sort of seahorse dragon stole our memory?"

Sanji nodded and Zoro continued.

"She was one of the people who appeared when it finally let go of our memories. You didn't see her?"

"I think I was staring at my own memory about this old Zeff," the blond remembered.

"Well, she was there."

"I got it", the cook sighed. "Describe her to me."

The fencer took a few seconds to think.

"Determined. Merciless. A true warrior."

"And physically?"

"Short, dark hair. Cold face. Big dark eyes and proud. A bit like Tashigi, minus glasses. Better fighter too."

Sanji tried to imagine the girl by thinking about the Navy officer younger.

"Why you wanna know?" the swordsman then asked, turning to him.

"Don't know. She was important to you so I think I wanna know her."

The cook bit his tongue as soon as the words had escaped him but Zoro didn't seem to notice his confession. He settled on his back again, staring at the ceiling and focusing on his memories.

"At first, I hated her 'cause she was stronger than me. She was putting a beating on everyone arrogantly and it drove me crazy. And then, bit by bit, she became the reason for my commitment to become the best. The fact she was beating me every time with her only sword made me want to surpass myself, she has become my model."

The blond was attentively listening to the swordsman telling him his story, the cigarette in the corner of his lips and looking hypnotized. He didn't know why but this confidence was touching him particularly. Maybe because Zoro was never talking about him to anyone.

"On the night of her last victory, she was flinching", the fencer continued. "She was sure she wasn't going to fulfill her dream of being the best swordsman in the world because she was a girl so we promised one of us would do it no matter what."

As the fencer was becoming silent, Sanji blew a little smoke and turned his attention back to him. Zoro had his fighter gaze, the tough, proud one he was displaying before slipping his bandana on, before throwing himself into battle.

"So it comes from here your idea of becoming the best swordsman in the world?"

Zoro shrugged.

"Let's say it strengthened it. When she died, her father gave me the Wado to make her dream come true and I swore to keep that promise as I've done it to Kuina. And I'm a man of my word."

Sanji let his cigarette butt die down without thinking. He didn't doubt his lover's determination and he shivered without wanting to. Perhaps he would have liked to personify as much as this girl for the fencer, he suddenly realized.

"When I think about it, she wouldn't have tolerated you dancing in front of her with hearts in your eyes", the swordsman added with amusement before closing his eyelids to slide to sleep.

The blond didn't move to wake him up again and he breathed in deeply as he was feeling the swordsman falling asleep beside him. He stared at the ceiling once again. He knew he wouldn't sleep because his brain was bubbling up.

He stood up noiselessly, put on clean clothes, and escaped from the room to stand against the nearest railing. A little further, Chopper was struggling against sleep to watch the sea.

Sanji sighed deeply. He couldn't deny he had a problem anymore. Maybe this problem had been there for a while and he had bottled it up but it was now coming back in all its vigour.  
A problem named Roronoa Zoro.

* * *

 _Here we go, hope you liked it!_

 _We'll be experiencing turbulence from now so please if you're still reading, tell me what you think!_


	25. Blues

_Thanks to ni21 for your review._

 _Welcome aboard for the new readers._

 _Enjoy your reading._

* * *

 **Chapter 25**

 **Blues**

Sanji was always cooking with passion. Ingredients were so many music notes he was setting down on the score of his plates to make the tastiest symphonies without even needing to think about it. This expertise was particularly useful to him today while he was running his moves routine a little more mechanically, lost in thought. His unconscious was therefore attentive to the cooking of the meat and the right dosage of spices on the crunchy vegetables while his mind was drifting out of his kitchen.

He had reviewed all the elements in his possession and he always came back to the same incongruous conclusion: he had become sensitive to certain behaviors of the swordsman. Whether addressed to him or not, these distinctive characteristics inherent to Zoro were causing him disarming chills and inner turmoil when he shouldn't even have noticed it. Like when the swordsman was excessively taking care of his swords. Or when he was grumbling when woke up too early from sleep. Or when his smirk was making his opponents back down even before he made a single move in their direction.

Even worse, when his moves were directly addressed to him, he was feeling his heart beating a little faster and his mind becoming confused. Like when the swordsman had taken the time to undress him. Or when he had left his hand lying around on his hip when he had woke up.

It was ridiculous and stupid given the fact this was about that idiot fencer and Sanji was well aware of this but it didn't change reality. His sad reality.

Why did he have to perceive differently the marimo attitude? he wondered, turning furiously at his salt mill. And above all, why did Zoro sometimes give him the impression of acting differently too?

Sanji sighed and added some broth for cooking. Was he getting the wrong idea about the swordsman's attention toward him? Zoro had seemed less expeditious to him in recent days, but at the same time he didn't seem to be giving it any special meaning either. Knowing the man, if he had wanted to be intentionally considerate, he would have betrayed himself in some way as this attitude wasn't tallying with him. But so far, nothing. He was settling for being perfectly normal, as if his moves weren't meant to communicate more than the blond seemed to see.

The cook bit his lower lip. Was it possible Zoro didn't realize the impact of his actions? It was hard to believe but once again, if the swordsman was acting knowingly, how did he keep this natural attitude in front of him? For his part, since he had realized what was going on inside him, he was feeling nervous and terribly uncomfortable.

Sanji cut the fire under his cooker, noting the meat had reached ideal temperature, and put a lid on his pot. He sighed then as he was staring half-heartedly at what he believed was the greatest passion of his life. He knew he needed an answer but the subject was way too tricky to rush into things without thinking and ask him the question abruptly.

Seriously, developing feelings for the marimo while so many pretty girls were waiting for him to be worshiped? No doubt he was cursed...

* * *

The Sunny was moored in the middle of the afternoon away from the main island of a small archipelago in a pretty flowery port literally swarming with Marines. Nami tried to prevent Luffy from disembarking but it was a lost cause and she eventually gave up. Immediately ashore, this one threw his hands towards a bird he wanted to see on the menu of his dinner and was spotted by conscientious soldiers who suspected that the presence of an elastic man was rare enough to mean the straw hat crew had disembarked.

While the captain was opening hostilities without even noticing it a few seconds later, the navigator put all her hopes on the rest of the crew she drew aside.

"Luffy is going to draw everyone's attention to him so let's try to take advantage of it", she sighed. "We're going to part ways to go unnoticed and do our shopping as quickly as possible. Brook with Franky, you're the most recognizable so you go back to the Sunny. Get it ready and keep in touch with Robin who will be watching Luffy so he doesn't get too far from the port. Sanji-kun and Ussop, try to bring some food in. Zoro and Chopper, take care of the cola reserves."

"And you, what you gonna do?" the cyborg inquired.

"I'll manage to know the charging time of the Log-Pose. I'll also take the opportunity to keep up with the news."

She then turned to her friends and gave them the starting signal.

"See you in an hour. We'll take Luffy at the last minute."

Everyone approved and speeded through the city to get the most out of things in such a short time.

* * *

When the crew met on the ship at about the appointed time, Nami told them with disappointment it would take two days for the Log-Pose to charge again. She then had decided to get the Sunny under cover on a small island nearby so they remain discreet enough time.

At her request, Robin tried to exfiltrate Luffy from the herd of Marines who was running after him at the top of the port but he was having so much fun he didn't intend to leave any time soon. Sanji and Zoro were then dispatched to help the archaeologist to get him back manu militari and they went to the place of battle.

Arrived up to the enemy troops, they found the officers weren't very experienced but their number was sufficiently high so that they must remain on their guard. Zoro pulled out his swords with an appreciative smile and glanced at the cook who seemed annoyed.

"If you can't handle it, you should let me take care of them", he challenged him.

"Don't dream, marimo. I was just thinking that it'd hardly be a distraction."

The fencer increased his smile and looked defiantly at the group of Marines who was coming towards them. A little further, Robin dropped a heavy rock in an alley to prevent the captain from following officers who were running away this way and he turned to her, disappointed.

"You're no fun, Robin!"

"I apologize, Captain. This is a request from our navigator. She would like us to leave before ending up in jail."

"Oh, but I cleaned everything yesterday, we can have a little fun now!"

Laughing, he threw himself at a group of Marines in the manner of a bowling ball, making them flee everywhere. A little further, Sanji deflected the cannonball shot in his direction with a kick. As he was repositioning himself in a bad mood, an officer more reckless than the others moved forward towards him and stroke a too short swing of sword at him which nevertheless ripped the front of his shirt.

The cook stared at him, his eyes bulging.

"Don't tear people's clothes, you snatches!" he shouted around as his opponent was backing down, frightened. "I'll teach you some manners, Marines bastards!"

He threw his feet into a Table Manner Kick Course that sent all those within his reach crashing amid frightened cries. When he finally got up, he noticed that his shirt was even more torn apart and he felt himself boiling with anger. He then had to bend backwards brutally when Luffy's elastic leg brushed him to reach an enemy several meters away from him, and he tightened his hold on his cigarette butt as he straightened up, definitely pissed off.

At his moment, his pocket-sized escargophone rang and he picked up while lighting a new cigarette.

"What's going on?" he asked calmly.

" _Reinforcements are coming from the other side of the harbor, Nami-san demands we weigh anchor immediately_ ", the skeleton's voice answered him.

"Very well. Tell Nami-san we'll be back in a minute."

He hung up and saw Zoro disappear under a mountain of officers before resurfacing by making them flutter all around him. The cook deflected the path of one of them before he reached him and approached the beautiful archaeologist a few steps from him.

"Robin-chan, we'll have to act quickly. Other Marines will arrive."

The young woman nodded, strangled about ten officers who were threatening her, then threw her multiple arms around the captain's body to force him to turn around. Luffy enjoyed himself before struggling, whimpering he wanted to stay a little longer, but despite his efforts to free himself, the archaeologist held her ground.

"Get back here, marimo head, we're leaving", the blond shouted to the swordsman not far from him.

Zoro lowered his swords and met Sanji and Robin who were already running towards the Sunny while dragging their captain behind them.

* * *

They hid themselves as planned a few kilometers away in the creek of a small peaceful island which formed the archipelago. The navigator didn't want to see anyone on shore until the next morning to be on the safe side and the atmosphere during dinner was electric. Nami continued to blame Luffy for being a totally unconscious captain and this one was sulking because he was bored and wanted to visit their new destination. Finally, everyone left the kitchen quickly and Sanji finished his dishes earlier than usual.

He then settled against the railing in front of his kitchen to smoke but soon felt a familiar presence coming in his direction. He turned to the figure and forced himself to relax. He was determined to behave as normally as possible with the swordsman and this one might be able to help him by approaching with his everlasting smirk on his lips.

"Nice tee-shirt."

Sanji frowned and tightened his teeth on his cigarette.

"What did you say, bastard?"

Zoro snickered. The blond had been forced to put on a simple long-sleeved tee-shirt given the condition in which he had brought his shirt back and it was still stuck in his throat.

"You were downright furious when he tore it up, cook", the fencer reminded him with a mocking smile. "You got a thing with that. Every time someone touches your clothes, you're losing it."

"So what?" he replied, drawing on his cigarette in a bad mood. "Only one of my shirts costs more than all your clothes together, stupid, so of course I take care of it."

"I ain't complaining. Seeing you into frenzy gives me ideas", he continued nonchalantly, taking one step closer. "Especially when you had to bend over to avoid Luffy's kick and all your abdominal muscles were contracted..."

In doing so, he ran his hand under the cook's tee-shirt to put his fingers on it, causing an immediate firming up of the body close to his.

"... like that", he finished, smiling arrogantly.

Sanji instantly shook his hand off, red with embarrassment.

"Knock it off, moron! You think I'm a demo kit?!"

"It'd be nice..."

"Peeper."

The fencer snatched his cigarette from his lips and flung it to the sea before boldly putting his lips in the cook's neck. After the initial shock, this one tensed up, feeling chills running down his body in all directions. In spite of all his good will, he could no longer abandon the idea of being just a toy in the swordsman's hands now. As long as he had enjoyed it in the same way as Zoro, he hadn't seen any objections, but tonight the situation seemed terribly uneven to him.

The latter was continuing to play his lips along his jaw, neck and shoulders without any restriction, leaving the blond muddled between the pleasure of his body and the torments of his mind. However, when the swordsman ran his hands under his tee-shirt again, Sanji tried to react.

"S-Stop, marimo."

"Why?" the other grunted against his ear.

"B-Because... Because... The-the others haven't gone to bed yet..."

In answer, Zoro grabbed his arm and dragged him to their room, making him hurtle down the stairs. Sanji panicked for a second before being caught by the sensation of the broad, calloused hand that was powerfully gripping his forearm. He didn't understand why, but the idea of being so desperately desired by the swordsman was leaving him almost intoxicated.

* * *

Zoro didn't wait for the intimacy of the room to resume what he had started and he pressed his lips brutally against those of the cook when they arrived in front of the door. As the blond was protesting, he made him enter while staggering, not wanting to take his mouth off his.

He then slammed the door behind them and pin his crewmate to it, who shuddered under the force of his move. He then kissed his skin with eagerness, moving from his neck to his collarbone while raising his hands against his back. The swordsman wasn't growing tired of his body against his, of his smell, of his stifled sighs against his mouth. Despite his resistance a little earlier, the cook seemed now to be more inclined to let himself go and he fully intended to enjoy it.

For his part, Sanji felt like drowning without making a single move to rise to the surface. His hands tightened instinctively against the hot body of his lover who was continuing to shower him with sensations. He then let the fencer get rid of his tee-shirt and felt his hands caress his chest with an impression of disconcerting unreality.

"Shit, how did we come to this?" he suddenly whispered.

The cook had no answer other than the hot kisses that were now coming down to his belly. He tried to close his eyes to take advantage of the situation but he was no longer able to. Yet his desire was rising, fueled by the fire the fencer's lips were spreading in him. Nevertheless, the pleasure was fading to only give way to a feeling of misunderstanding that was entirely consuming him.

"Zoro..."

Sanji grabbed his hands on his hips to stop him and forced him to come back to eye level.

"I need to know", he whispered to him.

"What are you talking about now?" the swordsman groaned, annoyed.

"How did we manage to share a room?"

Zoro sighed. He had initially wanted to disregard the idiotic questions of the cook but his worried look told him there would be no way around it.

"Nami thought we were too loud so-"

"No, I know all that", the cook interrupted him with a tired hand, escaping from his grip against the door. "How did we go from all this hatred to all this... passion?"

"I don't know and I don't care", the fencer calmly confessed, coming closer to resume wherever he had been interrupted.

"How's that? You never wonder what happened?" the blond inquired, stepping back again.

"What would it change to know?" Zoro pointed out, annoyed by the turn of events.

"Probably nothing", he admitted. "But I'd feel like I've got a little control over of my own life..."

The swordsman surrendered and sat down heavily on the bed.

"No less", he sighed.

"Yeah."

Sanji grabbed a cigarette but didn't light it and just chewed the edge a few steps away from him.

"We always had a hard time to put up with each other and what we're doing now is a bit like our fights", the swordsman suggested.

"It's still fucking different", the blond protested.

"Yeah but that's how it started", he reminded him. "We were fighting and no one wanted to give up. A fight is a battle between two opponents for the supremacy of one body over another, to submit it. What we do is also a struggle even if the purpose isn't the same."

"If we follow your logic, it'd mean you wanna fuck everything you beat up! You gonna tell me you do?" the cook got annoyed.

Zoro answered with a predatory smile.

"I only say that a physical confrontation awakens our instincts and that's surely what must have happened. Just like earlier..."

Sanji didn't hear the swordsman's suggestion and was silent for a moment before nodding slowly.

"Maybe you're right. To believe that we've just moved on to another form of expression. And yet..."

The blond went quiet for a few minutes, uncomfortable. Zoro had perfectly summed up the situation that had taken them into each other's arms. Apparently, it was also the way the fencer continued to see things today and all the gestures the cook had thought he had seen towards him no longer made any sense.

"What?" his lover suddenly gruffly encouraged him.

Sanji shook his head to pull himself together.

"Nothing, it's just I realize... All of that comes down to so few things..."

The swordsman shrugged.

"Call it whatever you like, destiny or coincidence. For now, here we are and that's fine."

At these words, the cook briskly turned his gaze into his and Zoro frowned. What did he say now?

"That means you like what's going on?" the blond wanted to know.

The fencer rolled his eyes.

"No, I force myself."

"Yeah, that was a dumb question", Sanji admitted, looking the other way. "It's just that... No, never mind."

"You're real good with killing the mood", Zoro noted.

The swordsman sighed. The cook was definitely too complicated and he was obviously not in the mood to have fun.

"I got it. If you change your mind, you know where to find me."

"Okay..."

Sanji watched as the fencer came out of the room and stood still for a moment, staring at nothing. Zoro had given him his logic and his vision but that didn't satisfy him.

It was his own reasoning he wanted to understand. Knowing why his being was screaming at him to no longer be content with this physical relationship. Knowing how it was possible to feel such a tension, torn between enmity and passion. Knowing why he was here today.

Sanji noticed a tee-shirt from the fencer he must have forgotten a few days before. Zoro had a hard time tidying up his things and he was letting everything lying around on the floor, which annoyed him tremendously. Sighing, he picked it up and headed for the door after putting on his own tee-shirt. He would drop it off for laundry in passing before drinking a very dark coffee that might help him unravel the threads of his life.

* * *

Arrived in his kitchen, Sanji turned on the coffee maker and watched the coffee flow patiently. Shortly after, he felt a discreet presence approach him and he turned around to see with wonder that Robin was coming in his direction.

"Robin-chan, do you need anything?" the cook immediately swooned.

"I came for a coffee but to tell the truth, I am now curious about your behavior", the young woman answered him quietly.

"My behavior?"

"Why are you hounding Swordsman-san's tee-shirt?"

Sanji lowered his eyes to become aware he was tearing the marimo's garment without even realizing it. Why didn't he put it in the bathroom besides?

"It's nothing, dear Robin."

He set the scrap tee-shirt down a little further while sighing and the archaeologist took the liberty of serving two cups of coffee without Sanji wanting to stop her. She handed him one, and he accepted it without flinching, which surprised her a little more.

"Long day?" she asked him, taking a sip of her drink.

"If it was just a day", he mumbled. "I'm tired I think."

The archaeologist nodded silently and was about to come out when the cook called her out in a hesitant voice.

"Robin-chan... Have you..."

She urged him to go on with a look but Sanji winced. However, he needed to put his thoughts in order and the serenity of the young woman encouraged him to confide.

"Have you... ever been in love?"

Robin gave him a thoughtful look.

"No, I don't think so", she sincerely answered.

"Oh, too bad", the blond whispered. "I thought you could have enlightened me..."

"About what?" she inquired.

"I'm in a dilemma, Robin-chan", the blond sighed then. "I don't understand why I do certain things or why I feel others..."

"Are you referring to your chaotic relationship with our swordsman?"

Sanji tensed up at having been so easily exposed but it was rather logical considering the young woman's intelligence and his question.

"Yes", he admitted reluctantly, falling into a chair after a few seconds of silence.

"I must admit that I have not been the least bit surprised by the development of your relationship", Robin quietly answered, sitting down beside him. "It was either that or one of you would have killed the other in a short while."

This observation snatched a smile from his crewmate.

"I'd have been inclined to favor the second option", he admitted. "So I don't understand why I'm here..."

"I believe that love remains one of the greatest mysteries and you will not be able to solve this equation for now. But what is important isn't it what you feel rather than why you feel it?" she pointed out.

"I know you're right, Robin-chan, but it'd be like admitting that I don't control much of my life", the cook sighed again. "Especially... given the person..."

"Sometimes you've got to be patient. It is not said that the answer would not come later."

She leaned her head toward him and smiled nostalgically.

"I have never had a real friend for a very long time. I have always been betrayed and I have betrayed so many people too. I was angry, I thought it was unfair that I could not trust anyone and I asked myself for a long time why fate dogged me. And then, when I discovered life at your side, I was hopeful. When you came to get me at Enies Lobby, I realized that I could be happy too. I do not know why I am entitled to it, but I savor being able to enjoy it every time and that is enough for me now."

Sanji was religiously listening to the beautiful archaeologist. He knew the horrors she had lived through throughout her life and her strength of character was commanding his admiration.

"My very dear Robin, I'm sure you'll find what you're looking for."

The young woman had a new smile that melted the cook's heart. He jumped from his chair, exhilarated.

"What would you like, Robin-chan?" he asked, twirling. "A piece of cake? A cocktail?"

"I would not turn a piece of yesterday sumptuous chocolate cake down", she accepted while the blond was rushing towards his cupboards.

* * *

Sanji blew the smoke from his cigarette which evaporated in an instant in the sea air of the night. He had settled on the deck shortly after Robin's departure and was absently gazing at the dark figure of the island. He was also hearing the sound of Franky's tools in his workshop which was resounding in the midst of silence.

A little earlier, he had seen Zoro heading for the crow's nest. He had clearly invited him with a look to meet him but as the fencer had quickly guessed, the cook was still not in the mood and he had turned him away with a disapproving glance.

Sanji stared at the sea in front of him. He needed to think and take stock. Knowing what he really wanted. As the archaeologist had advised him, he then forced himself to put aside the why and focused on what he was feeling.

His new feelings seemed like a monumental slap but although he was stunned by this realization, he still had to make a decision he couldn't ignore. He could simply decide to lock up his feelings deep down and hope to forget them by putting an end to their arrangement. Or, he suggested to the swordsman another form of relationship.

Sanji frowned before pulling on his cigarette butt and enjoying the bitter taste. What a moron he was! It wasn't a choice he had to make; it was the obvious he had to accept. Because it was undeniable, he didn't want to be content with sharing the swordsman's bed anymore; he wanted to share his life. What sensible person would refuse the possibility of being loved in return and savoring the consequences with the one who occupied all his thoughts?

This banal realization left him lightheaded for a few seconds. It was still Zoro. A being whose mere presence could be enough to annoy him in the worst way. Yet, he wasn't stumbling over the fact that Zoro was a man anymore. He was seeing him. His pride, his unwavering determination and his cold eyes which were plainly piercing him. He might want to beat him half of the time, the other half, he was spending it to desire his body and hope his eyes weren't slipping on him without noticing him...

Sanji let the smoke of his cigarette get lost in the night. In the midst of this unlikely relationship, Zoro and he had woven a new link without realizing it.

Like this, the cook had learned to appreciate the swordsman's smirks and the frown of his eyebrows that told him more than long speeches. He also liked to think he knew him better than anyone else on the ship to the way in which he was clenching his jaw or was remaining totally neutral depending on the events. He was looking for the hot glance the fencer was putting on him when his eyes were darkened by desire. He was cherishing the fact of being the source of such an outburst from a usually so stoic person.

He himself had discovered the attractiveness of the swordsman's body and he was realizing with horror how much each person they were passing could notice the same thing as him. And he didn't want to share Zoro. Neither his body, nor their rivalry, nor their fragile complicity. He wanted him for him alone.

The cook sighed and let his cigarette butt burn alone in the wind. Of course he was here. He had made the remark to the swordsman several times: it wasn't in his nature to indulge in a carnal relationship without attachment. Only, he had preferred to close his eyes to continue to enjoy the situation without questioning their arrangement and tonight, he wished he didn't.

Sanji sighed again. He had to tell him. The fencer was going to notice something and he himself couldn't stand the situation. He wanted to regain some control over his life and could no longer delude himself, regardless of the swordsman's reaction. Whether Zoro had also moved on or not, whether Sanji was clinging on to hope or not, in fact, it didn't matter what he thought he had understood from the fencer's actions because he would soon know for certain.

To keep up with his principles, the blond knew he wouldn't back down and go all the way. As far as to tell his rival and lover the whole truth. And never mind if he made fun of him or rejected him. It was time for him to stand and accept the consequences of his actions and his personality. What was the value of a simple physical relationship if he expected much more anyway? His honor and his pride no longer allowed him to hide behind excuses.

He looked up spontaneously at the crow's nest and looked for the shadow of the fencer even so he didn't see it. He took a breath and his look strengthened. Tomorrow, he would play at double or nothing.

* * *

 _At the time, this chapter was quite a struggle to write. Ideas were there but organizing it wasn't that obvious. Hope you like the turn of events._

 _Next chapter is... Yeah, it's the one._


	26. Cards on the table

_Welcome aboard for the new readers._

 _Enjoy your reading._

* * *

 **Chapter 26**

 **Cards on the table**

The next morning at breakfast, Luffy suddenly waved his cutlery with one hand while the other continued to stuff a roll into his mouth.

"Itsh time to vishit the shity!"

His crew gave him an uninterested look and continued to eat, carrying on with its discussions.

"Swallow before you speak", his cook grumbled, clearing the dishes already emptied.

The captain swallowed and spoke again with a big smile.

"It's time to visit the city!"

"I'm all for stretching my legs!" Brook immediately enthused.

"I have the impression that there are many plants and flowers on this island, I can't wait to know their properties", Chopper added.

"That is correct, there is a large zoological garden where the fauna and flora of the archipelago are depicted", Robin confirmed, drinking her coffee.

"Luffy, you must know something for this island visit", the navigator said, turning to him.

"What, what? It's an island covered with meat?!"

Nami stared at him for a second, jaded. Drool was dripping from his mouth in anticipation of her answer and she decided to simply ignore this unappealing picture.

"It's not an island covered with meat, Robin just told you its specificity is plant", she replied as the captain's face was fading. "So what you need to know is that if you keep quiet ashore, I'll ask Sanji to prepare you a special meal tonight."

"A special meal?! What is it?!" he exclaimed, wild with excitement.

He abruptly turned to his cook and clung on to his arm.

"Sanji! Tell me what it is!" he begged him.

"We will decide if you deserve it", the redhead interrupted him. "It means no fighting and no attention drawn to us all day. You think you can do that?"

"I'll be good!" the straw hat boy assured her, rising to support his words. "I want the special meal!"

The captain sat down again and began to swallow his breakfast in silence, surprising all his crew.

"Food blackmail, it's awfully well thought", Franky said to Nami.

"Why didn't we ever think about it before?" Ussop wondered, staring at his friend in astonishment.

"I don't know how long it will last so let's take advantage of it", Nami simply admitted, taking a sip of tea peacefully.

* * *

Sanji was drying his dishes absently. Nami had arranged to meet the crew in an hour on the deck, time for everyone to get ready to discover the new island and he should have felt as excited as the others at this prospect but it wasn't the case. Since he knew the reason of his concern, he didn't dwell on it. He had decided that the evening would probably be the best time for a discussion with the swordsman and despite his nervousness, he was planning to spend a day as normal as possible by then. So when he heard the kitchen door open behind his back, he turned mechanically towards it before freezing when seeing Zoro enter the room.

"What do you want, Marimo Man?" he asked, trying to sound relaxed.

"My special meal. I didn't get it last night", the swordsman replied confidently.

"Wh-What?"

The fencer casually approached and stopped a few inches from the cook who was staring at him.

"So, that special meal?" he kept on, a greedy gleam into his eyes.

"Uh..."

Sanji suddenly felt the fencer's hands move up along his back before they pulled him abruptly forward. He found himself pinned against the muscular chest of the swordsman who favored him with a smirk. Resting on his hands, Sanji slightly wriggled out and tried to put up on a bold front, in vain.

"Cat got your tongue, cook? Doesn't look like you but I must say I like it..."

Zoro put his mouth up along his crewmate's jaw in the form of small kisses as far as his right ear. He felt the cook shudder in his arms and squeezed up a little more against him to increase his caresses through his shirt.

For his part, Sanji had his heart in his boots. He knew he had made a decision but Zoro was forcing him to act much faster than expected and his anxiety was increasing to this prospect. An infernal fight was taking place into him between his resolution and his desire to enjoy the swordsman's attentions, perhaps for the last time. Finally, he strengthened his will. The fencer was giving him the perfect opportunity to express himself and the sooner he would do it, the better he would feel. He then put a hand again on the chest of the fencer to put some distance between them.

"We need to talk, Zoro."

The latter slowly raised his head from his neck, annoyed.

"Again? Can't we talk after?"

"No, we can't."

The fencer sighed and moved away from the blond, freeing him from his grip. He had noticed the cook had some strange requests in recent days, but he had thought he could enjoy their moment of peace by doing something other than conversation.

Facing him, Sanji took a deep breath to try to control his restlessness.

"Parameters have changed, we can't continue like this anymore", he suddenly uttered, grabbing his pack of cigarettes with a nervous move.

Zoro waited for the rest that didn't come and he looked questioningly at him, confused.

"Which means?"

"That it's more than just a sex thing between us."

The swordsman continued to stare at the blond with incomprehension and this one got frustrated.

"We never talked about that again since the beginning! We just assumed we'll get over it but for my part, I don't!"

"So what's the big deal? We can keep having a nice time, can't we?"

"For fuck's sake, don't you get it?!" the cook exclaimed, livid with anger. "I am not having fun anymore, I'm getting attached!"

The swordsman frowned and there was silence for a few moments in the room as Sanji slowly took a deep breath again, his eyes shifting in spite of himself. He was feeling his heart ache painfully at the thought of unveiled himself so easily and he could well imagine Zoro openly making fun of him. But after all, he had first to be honest with himself and he would suffer the consequences without flinching for having neglected his own temperament. He knew himself yet, he should have foreseen a physical attraction would necessarily be accompanied by the emergence of feelings. He was like that, too mushy. Too dumb.

"You want us to stop then?" the swordsman asked him.

Sanji finally looked up and stared into Zoro's eyes. It was the moment of truth.

"I'll be frank with you, marimo", he sighed. "I know myself and I couldn't keep playing this game if we're not on the same page, so it's up to you to tell me what this is about and I want you to be honest."

"You wanna keep doing it if I tell you I'm attached to you, too?" the fencer wondered.

The cook rolled his eyes and finally grabbed a cigarette he stuck between his lips.

"It it was enough for you to say it, it'd be easy. I want you to feel it. If you don't, there's no point."

"Wait a minute. What are you asking me now?"

The swordsman frowned even more and folded his arms, on the defensive. Sanji stared at him in disbelief for long seconds. And he had thought he was perfectly clear!

"Shit, you really need me to explain everything to you", he grinded as he pulled the cigarette butt he hadn't lit out of his mouth. "I just wanna say that... We could move to another level of our relationship. Something more... important. A real relationship, you know."

"A real relationship?" Zoro repeated, still suspicious.

"Yes, a fucking normal relationship!" the cook got impatient. "A thing that isn't only based on fucking if you like! You know what that means, don't you?!"

The swordsman seemed to finally assimilate the true scope of their conversation and his eyes widened in shock. Facing him, Sanji restrained himself form kicking his face in front of his bewildered look and he forced himself to wait a few moments in silence. After the surprise, Zoro actually spoke again.

"But I thought you liked girls? I mean... for that sort of thing."

The cook closed his eyes for a second so he wouldn't scream. He wasn't going to make it. The marimo head understood nothing.

"And yet I ask you, you moron! You're not a girl as far as I know!" he hissed, glaring at him.

Zoro winced. He didn't understand how the idea of getting laid had turned into such an unlikely discussion. Yet the furious eye of the cook was assuring him he wasn't dreaming and the latter was obviously waiting for an answer from him but the suddenness of his declaration left him speechless. He ran a hand through his hair, clearly uncomfortable, before withdrawing to the door.

"Hey, where the fuck are you going?" the cook shouted at his back. "I asked you a question, stupid swordsman!"

The fencer slowly turned around and fixed his impenetrable gaze on the one of the chef from the other end of the room.

"I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know?" the blond repeated, taken aback. "How can you not know?!"

"I don't know, that's all", the swordsman repeated, clenching his teeth.

"But you don't... I mean, what you were doing lately, it's...?"

The swordsman's questioning look finally convinced Sanji not to finish his sentence. By the look of it, he had misinterpreted Zoro's attitude towards him so he wasn't going to make a fool of himself further. All he wanted was an answer, even if it was a negative one. For him, it was incomprehensible that someone didn't know how to determine his feelings at the very least, so he interpreted the fencer's answer as an attempt to duck out.

"I have to think about it", the swordsman then added.

At these words, Sanji felt his blood boil.

"Are you fucking kidding me?!" he shouted back. "I'm not asking you to get down on your knees and recite poems to me! I'm asking you to be frank about what you feel, it shouldn't be that complicated!"

The swordsman tensed up in his turn and his hand closed on the hilt of his swords.

"What's your problem, stupid eyebrows? You don't understand simple sentences?!"

"You're my problem, you idiot! You don't even have the courage to tell me what you think! I ain't made of glass so spit it out! You can even laugh in my face, it wouldn't surprise me from a marimo man like you!"

"You're looking for a fight?" the swordsman snarled.

"No, I'll get it!"

In an instant, the two men jumped on each other furiously, but they exchanged only a few blows before the navigator turned up, livid.

"I've had enough of the both of you!" she screamed, exploding their heads against each other. "We have just offered you a place to be quiet, but you still found a way to disturb everyone! You're not alone on this ship so you're going to learn to be more discreet!"

The two rivals glared at each other, and Nami continued on.

"I want you in ten minutes on the deck and if I hear the slightest noise by then, I'll hand you two over the first patrol that comes by to get a vacation!"

She then slammed the door behind her, leaving Sanji and Zoro to assess the possibility of starting the fight again despite the young woman's wrath not far from them. After long seconds, the swordsman finally put his blades away.

"I told you I'll think about it", he said in a low voice.

"I don't give a fuck. Get the hell outta here."

Zoro didn't need to be told twice and he rushed out of the kitchen, leaving the blond to his anger.

* * *

When Sanji turned up on the deck a few minutes later, the entire crew was already around the navigator and listening to her instructions.

"We have already made some stock yesterday and the island seems rather quiet so we'll be able to take our time. All I ask you is not to be spotted and to be back at the Sunny before tonight."

Everyone happily agreed and was about to disembark but Nami spoke firmly again.

"We still need one of us to watch the ship so we'll draw straws."

A tense silence welcomed her proposal. Nobody wanted to stay behind while a visit free from all chores was in front of them.

"I'm going to stay, I don't mind", the cook then offered.

"How nice, Sanji!" Chopper thanked him, delighted.

"You're the best!" Luffy agreed with excitement.

"Are you sure?" the redhead wondered.

"Yes, don't worry. I'll enjoy cooking quietly for once."

The young woman nodded and she had hardly given the signal to start that everyone had made off. She sighed and followed in Robin's footsteps after giving a little sign to the cook who watched them go away until they had completely disappeared from his field of vision.

* * *

The crew met again as agreed on the Sunny at the end of the afternoon. Everyone was delighted and told everybody what they had done for the day.

"We brought back lots of varieties of flowers!" the little reindeer showed his friends while the skeleton was putting wide planters down on the deck.

"They smell really nice", Robin appreciated.

"They're also resistant to Grand Line weather changes!" Brook showed her.

"We went in the big garden and we saw lots of weird insects!" Luffy exclaimed. "Beetles, giant caterpillars, purple ladybugs!"

"It was really disturbing", Ussop grumbled.

"I counted, the millipede had only a hundred paws!" the captain told them.

"Yes, it was a centipede," his friend explained to the others.

"Fascinating", the navigator quipped with a disgusted smile. "What about you?" she asked the last two.

"We drank a super local herbal drink, a real delight!" Franky got enthused.

"Yeah, an alcoholic plant", Zoro added. "It really wasn't that bad."

"An alcoholic plant? I've never heard of that", the sniper muttered.

Nami interrupted him with a hand gesture.

"Well, for our part, Robin and I enjoyed a nice day outside of a great little café and we found ancient books at an old bookseller."

"It's lame", Luffy whispered to Ussop.

"Because you think you're so clever with your millipede having hundred paws?!" the navigator barked, threatening him with her fist.

"Round of cocktails!"

Sanji gallantly offered a drink to the two young women of the crew before handing out the boys'. Under his casual looks, he was trying to keep his anger and frustration in check somehow. Keeping himself busy with the kitchen by cutting pieces of meat and vegetables for future soups had at least allowed him to suppress some but he was far from feeling relaxed.

"I didn't do anything stupid!" Luffy then reminded them with utmost seriousness. "Ussop can testify!"

The latter nodded gravely and the captain turned to his navigator with a huge smile.

"I can have my special meal then?!"

"Well, since you have kept your words", she agreed. "Sanji-kun..."

"Yes, Nami-san, what can I do for you?" the blond immediately inquired, flitting.

"I wonder if a crêpe party wouldn't please everyone", she suggested.

"It's a good ide-"

"Crêpes?!" Luffy shouted at his side. "Awesome!"

"Crêpes?" Ussop repeated, eyes illuminated.

"Crêpes! Crêpes! Crêpes!" Chopper and Brook chanted as they were dancing.

"That's a super idea!" Franky added.

"It seems that this proposal is unanimous", Robin noted, smiling.

"Let's go for a crêpe party then!" the cook hurled.

"Hooray!"

* * *

"Take it easy", the cook explained to him. "Just a little flick of the wrist is enough."

Ussop focused and tried to flip the crêpe, which turned, but only half dropped in the pan.

"It's not too bad."

The blond repositioned the crêpe and put it on the fire again while Luffy grabbed the second pan.

"Look, Sanji!"

He gave a strong impetus to his utensil and the crêpe took off forward. Sanji, Chopper, Ussop, and Luffy followed it with their eyes with horror until it landed on the cyborg's head who had just opened the door. He peeled it off his face with a wince.

"This is burning hot."

"Luffy, how many times I've told you not to flip it so hard!" the cook reprimanded him. "You're wasting food!"

"I didn't mean to, sorry!"

Sanji sighed and gave the next pan to Chopper.

"I'm not sure I can do it", the little reindeer worried.

"Of course you can, it's not that complicated. If you follow my instructions and you don't put excessive strength on it, everything will be fine."

The doctor nodded in concentration and was about to flip his crêpe when he was pushed by the captain who was throwing flour at Ussop, laughing, and his utensils slipped out of his hands. Sanji caught hold of the pan and the crêpe expertly before slamming them down. He then turned to the culprits, red with anger, while Franky was trying to drink his cola between two handfuls of flour.

"Both of you, out!" he shouted at the troublemakers.

Luffy cautiously stepped back, not without taking the pack of flour, and hurried across the deck in search of Ussop who had already made off. This one panicked for a moment when he saw his captain spotting him and he rushed to the mast to protect himself.

"Gum-gum Bullet!"

Luffy's long arm catapulted the pack of flour to the sniper who screamed as he was throwing himself on the ground.

When he got up, the straw hat boy was shrieking with laughter, pointing to something behind him and he turned around. The fencer previously asleep against the mast had taken all the flour in the face and in the middle of the white powder which was covering him from head to toe, his eyes were on fire.

"Oh, s-sorry, Zoro", Ussop stammered, stepping back in front of his murderer's face.

"You're like a snowman!" Luffy exclaimed with delight, running his finger on the fencer's shoulders.

"Where's my flour, you douche bags, I need it!" Sanji's voice suddenly sounded from the kitchen railing.

Distraught, Luffy and Ussop disappeared like a shot, letting the swordsman trying to get rid of the flour that made him cough.

"What the..."

Sanji leaned forward on the railing and felt all his anger comes back to him in an instant. He propelled himself down in front of the swordsman and walked towards him with angry footsteps.

"What the hell did you do, bastard?" he got upset, stopping at his height. "What do you think you're doing with my flour? You think this is a toy?!"

"Cos you think I'm having fun spilling some flour on myself, you idiot?!" the swordsman replied aggressively.

"Meanwhile, you're covered in it! Don't you dare using my ingredients for you stupid games, you hear me?!"

"You moron, are you blind or somethin'?! I don't give a damn about your shitty crêpes!"

Sanji was boiling again and he gave him a kick that Zoro warded off with one of his swords. All his anger was only asking to send the fencer flying overboard and now, it was too good an opportunity. He bent and gave his opponent a powerful blow to the chest who protected himself with two blades. Zoro replied in his turn and forced the cook to retreat under the speed of his attacks during which his swords were slicing the air around them.

In the midst of this rampage, they didn't notice Ussop and Luffy had come closer noiselessly.

"It-It's not Zoro's fault, Sanji", the sniper intervened in a small voice.

The young man didn't want to be sliced by the cook but he couldn't stand the idea that the fencer was paying for him either.

"That's right", Luffy added. "Zoro looks like a flourman, but it's not him who spilled it."

The cook stopped his blows, but his gaze overflowing with animosity didn't leave the eyes of the swordsman who was returning the favor. He had long forgotten the reason of their fight. Only his fury was consuming him entirely at this moment.

"Whatever", he snarled eventually. "He's a jerk anyway."

* * *

"These crêpes are absolutely delicious!" Brook gushed.

"More, Sanchi, more!"

The cook put two new crêpes in front of his captain whose eyes sparkled brilliantly.

"I'm gonna make a meat one!"

The table set on the deck lawn was bursting with crêpes and various ingredients so that everyone could fill them with his favorite. Nami had moved closer to her salted butter and sugar in particular, which she shared with Chopper, laughing. Luffy plunged his hand toward the dish and stuffed his crêpe with a huge chicken breast while Franky was watering his with cola. As for him, Ussop was swallowing an umpteenth mouthful of chocolate crêpe despite his rounded belly while the swordsman was shoving a huge portion at once into his mouth.

"This evening is a real success", Robin noted. "The weather is superb and the meal is exquisite."

"Oh, thank you, Robin-chan!" the blond swooned.

"Cook, we're out of cider", Zoro pointed out.

Losing his smile immediately, the cook glared at him.

"In that case, move it and go get it yourself", he hissed.

Sighing, the swordsman stood up and Sanji wanted to go back to his service for the two young women of the crew before he froze. He then stretched his leg up to the fencer to prevent him from passing.

"What do you think you're doing, marimo?" he barked at him.

"Well, I'm gonna get the bottle!"

"No way you're going to my kitchen, oaf!"

"Are you this dumb, cook?" the swordsman got annoyed. "You just told me to go!"

"I changed my mind, you moron, so don't even think about moving!"

The two men aggressively looked at each other defiantly before Zoro imperceptibly clenched his fists. In response, Sanji was about to seize the opportunity of a new fight until Nami intervened.

"Don't ruin our evening", she threatened them with her knife. "If you want to fight, go to the other side of the ship!"

Zoro shrugged and sat back down, grumbling. For his part, Sanji tightened his jaw around his cigarette butt before heading to the kitchen to bring back a new bottle he dropped carelessly on the table when he got back.

No matter how much he could contain himself, seeing Zoro behave as usual was driving him crazy. He had held back thinking the swordsman would keep his word to "think" about it and that he would talk to him quickly but his illusions were dwindling over the hours. Was this idiot not aware of the conversation they had had or he just didn't care?

* * *

 _Thanks to the holidays, here is another chapter!_

 _Yes, Zoro is slow. Very slow. But I imagine him being so out of touch with feelings I didn't know how to write it in another way!_

 _You can support Sanji with little words of encouragement, he needs it!_


	27. Hypersensitive

_Welcome aboard for the new readers._

 _Enjoy your reading._

* * *

 **Chapter 27**

 **Hypersensitive**

"Hey, why did you all leave? What's going on?" Luffy asked, meeting Ussop, Franky, Chopper and Brook on the deck.

The sniper pointed out Zoro and Sanji to him with a chin gesture.

"They're fighting again, it's unbelievable", he sighed.

"It's already the third time this morning", the reindeer added with concern.

Since the crew had sailed off again after breakfast that morning, the Sunny's two enemies were constantly fighting and their friends were beginning to suspect there was a bigger motive than just their usual quarrels. On the other hand, the straw hat captain shrugged.

"A little healthy competition keeps fit!"

"Yeah, but that's not healthy competition anymore", Franky noted, stepping aside so as not to get punched by the swordsman flying through the air. "That's just hate."

"And they destroyed the kitchen table", the musician said.

"Oh. You think we should pull them apart?" Luffy asked them, avoiding Sanji from crashing into him.

"Maybe that wouldn't be so bad", the cyborg agreed.

"Usually, it's Nami who takes care of it but she puts the new books they bought with Robin away and she asked not to be disturbed", the captain remembered, ducking down to avoid a sword stroke.

Brook stepped forward, resolute.

"Dear friends, violence doesn't solve anything. It would be wiser to-"

A kick from Sanji for the swordsman sent him crashing against the mast and the skeleton took a few seconds to get back up, groggy.

"Hey, you gotta calm down now!" Franky stepped in as he walked towards the two men.

A sword from Zoro brushed his shirt and the ship's carpenter jumped back to avoid being cut.

"They can't hear us, they're out of control", Chopper winced.

"Too bad for them, let them tear each other to pieces. Anyway, Nami's going to kill them when she'll see the ship's condition", Ussop grumbled, fatalistic.

The rest of the crew nodded with a sigh, and everyone returned to quieter activities.

* * *

During lunch, the atmosphere didn't get any better. Even so when she had left the library, the navigator had separated the chef and the fencer with barrels thrown in their heads and then she had made sure that Sanji remained locked in the kitchen and Zoro in the crow's nest the rest of the time. As the table was broken and Franky hadn't been able to fix it yet, the crew was squeezing up to the counter or on the couch to eat. While the cook was beginning to arrange the dishes, the cyborg grabbed his bottle of cola from the fridge.

"Hey, what do you think you're doing?" Sanji shouted at him.

The engineer waved the bottle under his nose.

"I'm taking my cola. Why, what's the problem?"

"The problem is that everyone just waltzes in and out of this kitchen and half the things are disappearing!" the blond got annoyed.

Franky sat down, grunting, and Brook tried to start a lighter conversation to dispel the tension in the room.

"There is an island on Grand Line where every everyday object emits musical notes - it's the island of the chant!"

"You mean all objects are making noise?" Ussop wondered.

"People don't use oral language to communicate", the skeleton agreed. "They use objects to get sounds and make themselves understood!"

"Not easy when you can't read music", Franky pointed out.

"It's a relatively fast learning, I assure you."

"Does meat make music too out there?" Luffy asked wit interest.

"Well, I don't know but if it does, each food has its own melody!"

"That's awesome!" the captain exclaimed. "I bet leg of lamb has great music!"

"What about bottles?" the swordsman then asked.

"In the same manner, each of them must have a unique sound!" Brook agreed.

"It would help to find you faster when you think you can knock them back on the sly", the cook scornfully intervened. "Although putting you a charm collar would have the same effect", he added with a venomous smile.

"If you knew how to do your job, I wouldn't have to cut myself down", the fencer replied in the same tone.

"And if it was up to me, you'd never set foot here again, whether in my storeroom or in my kitchen!" the blond hissed.

"Lucky me, your stupid eyebrows head will never be captain. I'd rather change crew if you did", the swordsman snickered.

"Lucky you, indeed 'cause I'd have already abandoned you in the open sea and you'd have starved to death before being able to find your way back!"

Their exchange cast a chill on the audience. The disdain and hatred that were showing in the cook's words were even more noticeable than usual and they couldn't remember hearing Sanji threaten someone to deprive him of food. On the contrary, he was ready to devote himself even to his worst enemies in this regard.

His figure dejected, Zoro stared at him for a long time before getting up without a word. He then went out of the kitchen and the door slammed behind him, making the rest of the crew jump. Sanji smirked and went back to his business as if nothing had happened.

* * *

"Sanji-kun, are you sure you're okay?" Nami asked him suspiciously.

"Of course, Nami-san!" the cook flitted. "You're so sweet to worry about me!"

The navigator watched her friend twirl around the room and set her down a cup of tea. She had stayed a little longer than usual on purpose to be able to question him. She didn't know what was going on but she had quickly understood the Sunny would never regain its minimum level of peace until she had clarified this story. Finally, she sighed and took a stool at the counter.

"Sit down."

The blond could only obey even if he felt the conversation wasn't going to please him. He couldn't refuse a request from his red goddess.

"What's going on?" she asked him determinedly.

"What are you talking about, my b-"

"For Christ's sake, Sanji! You're totally on edge and you attack everyone! Not to mention your fights with Zoro those never end! It has never happened to you to such an extent since we know each other so don't tell me there's nothing! If you have a problem, the crew has a problem and I want to know what it is!"

The cook looked down. If his navigator gave such arguments, who was he to refuse?

"Just... a little spat with the marimo", he confessed half-heartedly.

Nami stared at him in disbelief.

"A simple spat is getting you so upset? Are you kidding me?!"

Sanji's eyes widened.

"Nami-san, I'll never-"

The redhead interrupted him with a hand gesture, exasperated.

"You better solve your problem and make it snappy, I'm fed up with you two!" she snarled.

She then stared harshly at her friend but the cook was visibly overwhelmed and she rolled her eyes. After a few seconds, she finally shook her head.

"Listen, I can well imagine it's not easy with this idiot but you have to learn to communicate differently than with blows!"

"This cactus head can't even answer a simple question!" the blond pleaded. "How can I communicate with that?!"

Nami shrugged.

"Don't forget Zoro is a caveman, he probably doesn't have more than ten words to express everything he feels. You have to take that into account."

Sanji turned his eyes into those of the navigator, desperately in love. In two sentences, Nami had perfectly summed up the situation.

"You're so smart, Nami-san!"

The young woman had an amused smile before getting up.

"I'm counting on you to solve your problem quickly", she concluded, taking away her cup.

"I won't disappoint you, trust me!" the cook promised her, totally under her spell.

* * *

After the altercation with the cook during the meal, Zoro had gone up to the crow's nest and locked himself in there. He wasn't used to retreat during their confrontations but the cruel words of the blond had reminded him of the mess in which he had landed since the day before. He knew the latter hadn't come to terms with their conversation, but he didn't understand why he was so mad at him. Yet he had been honest despite the suddenness of his revelation, and he had even promised him to think about it seriously. So why did he behave as if he had hurt him in the worst way?

The swordsman sighed. He was now hearing his friends' laughter on the deck and he wondered if Sanji was laughing with them since he was gone. Finally, he resolved to take advantage of this time to keep his promise and focus on what the cook had asked him. But how was he supposed to make a choice in this area? From what elements? He was tempted to use facts and rational arguments. It went against his instinctual decisions but this area deserved he thinks logically about it. For example, he could make a list.

Pro, he didn't grow tired of their little games.

Con, he spent half his time hating the behavior of the blond and wanting to hit him.

Pro, the cook would be forced to take responsibility for how he felt in front of the girls.

Con, he was going to have to put up with his continual quarrels for details.

Pro, Sanji wouldn't make him pay for his decision and wouldn't make his life impossible.

Con, he didn't want to submit to this pathetic cook.

The fencer winced. The idea of the list wasn't bad but it was concealing the real challenge of what the cook had suggested. And that was really the hardest part. Maybe he wasn't as smart as Robin but he wasn't stupid either and he knew what the blond had in mind when talking about real relationship. It meant admitting something was happening between them. Something that was going beyond their usual rivalry and their passionate affair. Something deeper. More fragile too.

It was about being sincere and Zoro took the time to think. Did he feel anything different for the blond compared with the previous months?

Sitting cross-legged, Zoro closed his eyes to focus completely. The question was definitely arduous so he decided to start with the simplest: things that hadn't changed. Easily, the swordsman noticed there still were this irritation and this desire to take on him. And then, this surge of competition with each new opponent they faced hadn't leaved them. This whole thing was usual.

What was new... What was new was this undeniable physical attraction whose consequences were more than pleasant. And also that slight intoxicating feeling when his eyes were meeting his at the bend of the ship. As if in anticipation of what could happen, the cook and he were connected to an indescribable level. Above all, there was this mutual understanding that was strengthening and the joy of noting that the cook never resigned himself, that he had the same liking for challenge than him. And for the last two days, there was also a hint of regret at the idea that their arrangement could stop.

Was that enough to be described as feelings as intended by Sanji? He had no idea. In any case, it was new emotions that concerned no one but the blond.

The swordsman sighed but continued to unroll his train of thought, annoyed. Why did the cook have to start asking himself questions? And how did he come to the conclusion that what he was feeling was worth to lay bare in front of him?

For sure, he could have laughed at what he had said to him, but to imagine Sanji had had the necessary courage to tell him about it - because it was undeniably courage in light of their personalities - taught him two essential things. One, the blond couldn't live without being in tune with his feelings and he was sure to give up on their carnal relationship if he couldn't or didn't want their attachment to be mutual. Two, his feelings had to be strong enough to have prevailed over his existential anxiety in recent weeks and he had accepted being attracted to a man. Yet he was continuing his ploy with the girls of the crew, but it must have been a personality trait he could never deny now.

These elements weren't to be taken lightly and once again, Zoro was amazed at the speed with which Sanji could analyze and put into words emotions as diffuse and disturbing.

The fencer opened his eyes again. He had to admit there were a few little different things about how he was seeing the cook, but were they worth taking them into account? For what he understood, they appeared to be very uncertain elements in the midst of the sovereign forces of his life and seemed definitely fragile compared to his determination for his ultimate purpose, his love for battle or the value of his honor.

Was the unavoidable attachment of this kind of relationship an obstacle to his goals and his dream? Wasn't the cook going to divert him from his path with this story? Was it really worth taking a risk for a result he had no way of knowing? This relationship would make him necessarily more vulnerable since he would be dependent on a variable he wouldn't master...

Finally, Zoro picked up his swords and headed for the exit, certain to have cleared his head but far from having made a decision.

* * *

Night was falling on the Sunny and the crew was enjoying the last light of the day to go about their business outdoors. Robin and Chopper were examining the flowers of the previous island while Brook was sipping a cup of tea not far from them. Ussop and Franky were tinkering in their workshops and hammer blows and saws were heard at regular intervals. At the back of the ship, Nami was pointing her finger at the horizon to show something to the captain and the latter was answering with excitement. As for him, the swordsman had already got back to the crow's nest for his watch.

After finishing his own chores, Sanji passed his crewmates and stopped at the door of his room. Of their room. For almost two days, he had ignored this room with all his might, but tonight he felt like going back. To contemplate it. To hope. To hurt himself.

He pushed the door with his fingertips and found nothing had changed. Zoro hadn't set foot there either, even though he hadn't locked it. He stepped into the room and lit a cigarette to pretend to be at ease. What the hell was he doing here, damn it? Apart from rubbing it in, it didn't bring him anything.

Here, their memories were spreading out and melancholy took hold of him. Wouldn't he have done better to say nothing and continue to enjoy what he had? Couldn't the swordsman have ended up reciprocating his feelings on his own gradually?

The cook shook his head. He felt pathetic to get to the point of crossing his fingers and leaving it up entirely to another person about his future. The truth was Zoro would never have moved on by the work of the Holy Spirit and he would have remained prisoner of his hope until one of them ended up throwing everything away. He knew he had done the right thing, but that didn't stop him from suffering.

"What you doing, stupid eyebrows?"

Sanji jumped and recovered instantly, hiding his sadness behind a mask of anger.

"What about you, cactus head?!"

"I'll have you know that's my room too. I'll get my things."

The blond felt his breathing lock into his chest. He was coming to get his things, why? Because...

"You've finally decided then", he sneered to conceal his discomfort. "You could have spread the word differently, but I can't ask too much to such a dimwit..."

"You can be so stupid when you try", the swordsman said wearily. "I come to get my stuff because they're all here and it's been two days since I'm wearing the same underwear, that's all."

"You really are disgusting."

The fencer shrugged and shoved him to enter. He grabbed his clothes in the blink of an eye and went back to the door in reverse. He was going to overtake the cook when this one blocked his way with a firm hand on his chest.

"Zoro, gimme your fucking answer", he whispered in a quavering voice.

"Oh, enough with that", the swordsman grunted, trying to get away.

"Goddammit, answer me!"

Surprised, the swordsman stared at the blond whose fury was blazing in his only visible blue eye.

"You're funny, you think this sort of things is decided in a minute?!" he got angry in his turn.

"Yes, and that's why I wanna know! Do your fucking meditation you advised me so well and make up your mind!"

"It's not because I know how to meditate that all the answers of the world come to me! You're the most gifted from both of us with words so gimme a break for a few days to think about it quietly!"

Sanji forced himself to take deep breaths. Since his conversation with Nami this afternoon, he had reconsidered the matter. He knew Zoro didn't work like him and maybe the marimo really needed time to realize what was going on in his own head. At the beginning of their new relationship, he himself had been totally lost.

"Alright, but you better do it quick", he decided, teeth clenched.

"Why are you in such a hurry?"

"Because I put myself out there for you and there's no way you're gonna play with my feelings for days before throwing them back in my face!"

Zoro studied him carefully and looked into his eyes.

"I won't take advantage of it."

The blond shrugged as if he didn't believe it and blew smoke from his cigarette that rose in the sky above them.

"Anyway, I won't wait indefinitely. There are plenty of other marimos in the ocean, and less stupid ones."

The side of the bedroom door slammed when Sanji snapped it shut before leaving and Zoro winced.

He was really going to have to make that decision.

* * *

"So, Zoro, what's wrong with Sanji?"

"Hm?"

"You don't talk anymore and you don't do these things Nami doesn't want me to see anymore."

"Uh, yeah..."

Cheeks red, the swordsman slowly looked away from his captain to immerse himself in the contemplation of the ocean again. He had settled on the pontoon as soon as breakfast had ended to think again about his dilemma. However, the more he turned the words in his head and weighed the pros and cons, the more he got tangled up.

"It's just... complicated", he added next.

"Why?" the most innocent young man of the world inquired.

"Because... I dunno", the swordsman finally whispered. "It's just the way it is between him and me. It always has been like this."

"Ah."

Luffy sat next to his friend and swung his feet into the void over the sea.

"Nami says it's because you don't know how to listen to yourselves and you just fight but I think it's funny!"

Zoro looked back at him and watched his laughing face enjoy the speed and splashes of water.

"You didn't hesitate before engaging with Nami in this new relationship?" he asked out of the blue.

The young man thought for a second before shaking his head firmly.

"No."

"Why?" he inquired with interest.

"Because I felt like it", the captain answered calmly.

Zoro fell back into silence, disappointed.

"When I'm with her, I'm feeling a lot of weird and funny things", the straw hat boy continued, laughing. "So I don't want it to stop!"

"I see what you mean", the swordsman sighed. "But it also means you have obligations with each other now. You don't mind then?"

"Obligations?" Luffy wondered. "I don't know what you're talking about."

The fencer glanced at him, puzzled.

"You know what it means to share a relationship with someone at least?"

"Absolutely!" the captain proudly answered. "It means that what I feel when I'm looking at her, she feels the same for me and it's just between us!"

"Yeah. So you're not afraid that... it prevents you from reaching your goal of becoming the Pirate King?"

"Why would Nami do that?" Luffy asked in disbelief.

"No, I'm not saying she'd like to but not on purpose. She has her goal, you have yours and it could distract you or stuff like that, couldn't it?"

The captain began to think before shooting a huge smile to his first mate.

"Quite the contrary, it boosts my spirit! I wanna get there even more!" he exclaimed, jumping up.

The swordsman followed him with his eyes, astonished.

"Really?"

"Yeah! Imagine, I'm gonna become the King of the Pirates, we're gonna criss-cross Grand Line and she'll can do all the maps of the planet with me! We'll be the happiest persons in the world!"

Zoro watched his captain improvise a victory dance by his side, stunned. Luffy had a way of putting it quite out of the ordinary. And it would probably be for that reason he would indeed become the King of the Pirates understood the swordsman with a smile.

"You shouldn't worry about Sanji, he's got his goal too", Luffy spoke again, laughing. "He's really strong! You've seen the thrashing he gave those pirates who were attacking Robin last time?"

The fencer scowled.

"I don't care if this moron knows how to defend himself", he grumbled. "It's just I have questions, that's all."

"Like what?"

The captain sat down next to him again while stealing a few cakes with an elastic hand to the poor Chopper who was passing by and stared at him with his big curious black eyes. Zoro sighed uncomfortably. He honestly doubted Luffy understood anything about his torments, but he had so much confidence in his captain that he was the only person he could talk to, even though he obviously didn't know anything about it.

"I wasn't really expecting to ask myself this type of questions one day but it turns out that I don't know if continuing our "relationship" is a good idea..."

"Oh? But you seemed to be happy!"

"Yeah, but it was a special arrangement and now, he wants it to be a bit like you and Nami, a bigger commitment. What an idiot, why did he need to ruin everything?" he growled then. "As if I was going to hesitate between him and my dream..."

"Oh, yeah! Gee, you're right!" the straw hat boy exclaimed before frowning. "But why Sanji would prevent you from becoming the greatest swordsman in the world, I didn't get it?"

"Well, that kind of thing takes work and I don't want to waste time. He speaks way too much and I'll have to listen to him at least once in a while. And then, he'll probably want us to do stuff together and that's not gonna happen. Imagine if this kind of thing is repeated and my training suffers? This guy is distracting me..."

"I understand, you have to give yourself every means to get there", Luffy agreed.

"Exactly", the swordsman said.

"This is what having a stomach ache is like, it's full of new adventures and obstacles to overcome!" the straw hat boy then cried out with delight.

"I didn't say I had a st-"

"But in this case, it's great!" he cut him short, overflowing with enthusiasm. "It means that when Sanji has found the All Blue and you beat Mihawk, he'll set up his restaurant there and those who want to become the best swordsman in the world will have to find you before trying their luck! It really is too cool!"

At this moment, Luffy spotted Chopper who had got new sweets and he darted behind him. Hearing his captain chase him, this one rushed away screaming and Zoro ran a hand across his face.

He wasn't sure his conversation with Luffy had helped him and he dropped against the mast. He definitely needed to sleep.

* * *

Two more days had passed. The swordsman had taken care to maintain a certain distance with the cook and this one seemed to have adopted the same strategy towards him. No new fighting had then broken out, to the satisfaction of the navigator. However, when they passed each other or were together during meals, provocations couldn't help but fuse and tension was irreparably explosive as soon as they were in the same room. All the crew had come to understand that their relationship now involved fistfights at the height of their strange attachment and they all cautiously stayed in the background as soon as their interactions were threatening to overflow. With the notable exception of Nami who was calling them to order with a single look.

Although he and the cook didn't mention it again, Zoro was feeling the blond was reaching his limit regarding the little truce he had given him and he still had no concrete answer to give him. Yet, he hadn't spared his effort and while continuing his training, he had made breaks to try to make the best decision possible. But tonight, he was tired and upset by his thoughts that didn't lead him anywhere and he had felt the need to soothe his mind with a good bottle.

However, having arrived in front of the fateful place, Zoro suspended his gesture on the handle of the kitchen door. Should he behave as usual and take the risk of a new confrontation with the cook when he still had no answer to give him or should he avoid meeting him to save a little more time? Finally, he shrugged and entered confidently. He was just going to take something to drink and he would speed without giving the cook enough time to mess with him.

"So, the king of vegetation is here."

Sanji was standing against the worktop a few feet away, a smirk on his face, and the swordsman held back a sigh of annoyance.

"I just come to take a bottle", he warned him neutrally.

"But please, I know seaweeds need an aquatic environment to work."

Zoro couldn't help but showing his teeth at this new provocation, and Sanji needed nothing more to keep going.

"Tell me, Your Majesty, when you have finished exhausting my reserves, will you be hydrated enough to think, or do you prefer I send you directly in the ocean to see your fellows?"

The fencer felt a vein throbbing at his temple. He wasn't going to let himself kindly insulted either. He was struggling but he had limits and his pride didn't allow him a lot of gaps.

"Stop it", he growled.

"What, did I hit something?" the blond inquired with an acid smile. "Or are you so stupid you're impervious to thinking and feelings?"

"Sanji, shut the fuck up now!"

The swordsman's shout cooled off the cook for a second before ignited all the tension in the room. Feeling the change of atmosphere, Zoro put his hand on the hilt of his blades.

"I shut up if I want to, bastard!" the blond yelled. "You're in my kitchen so you play by my rules and if you're not happy, you take your fucking swords and you get out!"

Zoro tensed to the extreme before lowering his hand. He was really fed up. He rushed out of the kitchen and heard Sanji shouting behind his back.

The cook was totally on edge and his own frustration was reaching his peak. All because of the outcome of their conversation he couldn't wait for! He wanted to shake him and punch him in the nose, not because of their natural tendency to fight but to wake him up and make him aware of his stupid attitude. If he thought it made him want to start this new relationship with him! This relationship, it already pissed him off and it hadn't even started yet!

The swordsman finally stopped against the Sunny's right side and gloomily gazed at the sea to calm down. Then he gave himself until the next evening to settle this thing. After this time, if he hadn't had an epiphany, he would tell him to get lost. If he absolutely had to decide, he would take the minimum possible risk.

"Fuck, man. When you're arguing, you're not faking it. I've heard you from the other end of the Sunny", the cyborg said behind him.

The fencer didn't reply. He didn't often feel talkative, and tonight even less than usual.

"One time, Kiwi had a row with her boyfriend all night and she left him. She cried her eyes out for two weeks. It was the saddest thing I've ever seen..."

Zoro gritted his teeth.

"Don't worry, Franky. There's no risk I'll start to weep, especially for that stupid cook."

"Shit, if you talk to him like that, it's sure you'll never make it up with him!" the carpenter reproached him.

"Maybe I don't wanna make it up with him."

The engineer shook his head and leaned by his side.

"You have to make an effort, guys. You don't know how to compromise?"

"Franky, you don't know what you're talking about", Zoro grumbled, shrinking a little more.

"Oh, y'know, I know a thing or two about lo-"

"Dammit, you're all pissin' me off with that!" the swordsman suddenly fumed. "We're not together, got it?!"

"Huh?"

"Our arrangement wasn't about feelings! It was just a fuckin' booty call so stop believing we're a couple cos we aren't! If this moron wants something else, that ain't my problem!"

The cyborg stared at him for a moment before sneering.

"And you want me to believe nothing's changed for you since that time, is it? If it was, you wouldn't make yourself sick about it, you'd have just moved on to something else."

"I'm not making myself sick about it!"

Zoro felt bad about exposing their private life that way but the cook had already so upset him he had lost the little cool he had left.

"You know what they say in such cases?" Franky continued quietly. "You need to swallow your pride and be honest with yourself."

"I should probably know what I want before then", Zoro grinded, totally disillusioned.

The engineer shook his head, a smile on his lips.

"You look a little like Luffy around the edges", he pointed out to him.

"And when did I ask for your opinion, Franky?" the fencer snapped.

"Listen, Zoro, it's always worth it to create a super bond like this one", he added as if it were obvious. "You should go for it and take risks!"

"Are you saying that to me?" the swordsman pointed out to him, jaded.

"I'm not talking about a physical risk, I'm talking about an emotional risk", he explained patiently. "I know it ain't your thing, but feelings are part of life too and you're a human being so you won't get out of it."

"I don't give a shit about that feelings crap", the swordsman muttered. "I have a goal to achieve."

"Damn, what kind of man are you, Roronoa?!" the cyborg suddenly got annoyed. "Since when you're freakin' out like that?"

Zoro rolled his eyes and refocused on the waves, putting an end to the conversation. Franky understood the message and shrugged.

"We always have to explain everything to you, jeez", he grumbled, walking away.

* * *

 _This chapter is pretty dense, at the time I almost got it cut in half._

 _I hope Zoro's version seems realistic enough. I had loved writing the scene between Luffy and him, Luffy as a love counselor is so irresistible! Anyway, I firmly believe Luffy is way smarter than we think and he's often ahead of the others._

 _In the next chapter, suspense is ending!_


	28. Change of course

_Welcome aboard for the new readers._

 _Enjoy your reading._

* * *

 **Chapter 28**

 **Change of course**

Chopper examined his plants carefully. They had all grown with speed as promised by the seller who had informed him with Brook on the last island and the highest already reached two meters. With curiosity, he turned the pages of his encyclopedia to spot the different varieties that were unknown to him. Several of them had medicinal properties and he was eager to use them.

He stopped in front of a big flower of about 1 meter and 50 centimeters. Possessing a long, single stem devoid of leaves, its head consisted of a huge, limp green ball. Intrigued, he flipped through his book again.

"What are you doing, Chopper?" Ussop inquired as he was approaching.

"I don't find the name of this plant", the little reindeer showed him. "Yet the retailer assured me they were all listed..."

The sniper looked over it and frowned.

"It's strange. This form is characteristic of-"

"Hey! Look at what Sanji gave me!"

Luffy barged in near his friends, waving a skewer of meat he swallowed up at once.

"Did he really give it to you?" Ussop wondered.

The captain nodded vigorously.

"He's trying new recipes, he wanted my opinion and it's so- Hey!"

The head of the unknown flower had opened wide in two and it brutally sucked the elastic captain whose half body disappeared inside its body. His two crewmates screamed with terror before rushing to pull their friend out but the flower was standing firm.

"Give us back our captain, you big drooling ball!" Ussop shouted, pulling with all his might.

"What is going on?" Brook, who had come running with Franky, asked.

"The plant ate Luffy!" Chopper showed them. "It doesn't want to let him go!"

"I remember now; it's probably a carnivorous plant!" Ussop suddenly recalled.

"A carnivorous plant?!" the musician repeated, horrified. "Luffy-san!"

Franky and Brook grabbed in their turn the captain's body whose feet were flailing but the flower was stronger than it looked.

"I got an idea!" the cyborg suddenly said.

He then crashed his huge fist down on the green ball that was his head, which had the effect of making it spit his prey who rolled on the ground, dripping with vegetable slime.

"Are you alright, Luffy?" Chopper asked him apprehensively.

"She thought I was meat, that was so funny!" the concerned laughed, sitting on the ground.

"Technically, you are meat", Brook pointed him out. "Me, on the other hand, I don't even have meat on my bones anymore!"

"You should go take a shower, Luffy", Ussop interrupted them worriedly. "Gastric juices of carnivorous plants are formidable and they're digesting you!"

The captain's clothes were indeed slowly falling apart and Franky glanced at the plant, which had regained its slouched look.

"She's starving to death, your flower", he noted. "If you take carnivorous plants, you have to feed them, guys."

"I didn't think it was a carnivorous plant, I wanted it because it was pretty!" the little doctor apologized.

"Plants are the queens of manipulation, Chopper", the sniper sighed as Luffy was gently patting the head of the hungry plant.

* * *

Sanji came out of the kitchen, his tray full of cocktails of all kinds. The weather was rather clear and colorful refreshment was always enjoyed under the sun. He set Nami's and Robin's down in the midst of his usual whirlwind of love and then walked over to the boys gathered around their little garden.

He stared at Luffy for a long time when this one solemnly asked him to prepare a snack for the flower by his side before Ussop showed that the carnivorous plant had probably had nothing to eat for days. He finally walked away, promising his captain to think about it at the next meal. Although it was only a plant, he refused to let it starve on this ship and in his presence.

Sanji ended his round by the front deck to bring his drink to Zoro. Even though the fencer's company was unbearable for him in recent days, his duty as a cook was forcing him to continue to feed him like the others. When he approached, he appreciated that the swordsman was busy training with the handling of his blades and that he was turning his back to him. Without missing a beat, he put the glass down at a reasonable distance to avoid the risk of it being knocked over and went away.

Yet on the brink of pushing the door of his kitchen, Sanji turned again towards the swordsman below and watched him a few moments. His figure against the light seemed to be dancing in the midst of the whirling of his blades. His quick and precise motions were cutting the air into a harmonious ballet, making the metal glitter under the bright light. The fencer didn't need to locate himself in his environment and he had closed his eyes, leaving his instinct and his very nature expressing themselves through his swords.

The cook then noticed he was only using two and that the third was resting against the mast of the Sunny. Sanji recognized the whiteness of Wadô Ichimonji. The sword was sparkling in the sun, almost forcing him to look away.

The cook suddenly shivered despite the heat. His swords. This sword. They represented everything for Zoro. All his life. All his will. All the space.

Sanji brutally felt like the third wheel in front of this almost intimate sight of a man in the middle of his universe and he retreated to his kitchen. He didn't want to be the indiscreet witness of a relationship he wasn't a part of.

* * *

"She's really hungry!" Luffy gushed, throwing another piece of meat at the carnivorous plant that swallowed it at once.

"I can't believe Sanji has prepared a meal just for her", Ussop muttered, respecting a safe distance a few steps away.

"By the way, why are you eating her share?" Franky asked, addressing his captain.

"We're sharing!" the straw hat boy showed him, gulping down several pieces in his turn. "This way, I'm sure it's good for her!"

"She seems to like it anyway", Chopper noted.

"It's amazing this ability to dissolve her preys at such a speed", Brook noticed as a piece of meat was melting before their eyes.

"It's a little chilling to see that", the sniper mumbled.

"Come on, catch!"

Luffy waved a piece of meat over the plant, which stretched as far as it could to reach it, without success.

"Come on, make an effort!" he laughingly encouraged her. "You're almost there!"

After a few more unsuccessful attempts, the plant suddenly changed strategy and grabbed the captain's plate within reach before swallowing it completely. At first incredulous, Luffy then stared at her furiously.

"We said we'd share, you're going too far! Gimme back my meat!"

"Luffy, it was her share", Ussop sighed.

The captain didn't take no for an answer and tried to hit the head of the flower, which answered by flinging his gastric juices in his face. His friends abruptly moved aside and Luffy found himself covered with mucus for the second time that day.

"You gonna gimme back my meat!" he shouted, throwing himself on her and ignoring the acid that was gnawing his skin.

The plant opened wide her jaw before propelling itself forward. She then closed her pod with a snap, swallowing again half the captain who struggled like a madman.

"We're not gonna do that all day", the cyborg grunted, dealing the flower a blow.

This one couldn't help loosening its jaw and Luffy slipped to the ground before threatening it with his fist.

"If that's the way, you won't have anything anymore!" he hurled. "I won't give you what Sanji'll prepare anymore; I'll keep everything for myself!"

The plant seemed to stare at him in its turn and the straw hat boy looked at it defiantly.

"Luffy, leave her alone", Chopper gently intervened. "And go wash up, your clothes are melting..."

* * *

Zoro blew a long breath. He had returned to the crow's nest for his nap shortly after training but had woken up after a few moments in an abnormal state of confusion and he had taken a few steps to relax. Usually, he slept soundly and under all circumstances, but this afternoon, all the events of the previous days related to the cook's suggestion were coming back to him in order to shatter his brain. And all their moments since they had started this particular relationship were colliding, mixing with the contradictory feelings he had. The day before, he had thought he was making a reasonable decision about him, but the chaos that was reigning in him right now made him sincerely doubt.

Finally, he dropped to the floor and sighed, defeated by the spiral of his emotions.

Yes, he liked the blond's impertinence. Okay, maybe he admired the special care he was putting into everything he did. It was even possible he was looking for their incessant battles because these moments excited as much his fighting instinct as his intoxicated senses of his opponent. Without a doubt, he was gushing about his thin body, flexible and muscular at every occasion. When his legs were whirling as he was trying to reach him, when he was nonchalantly plunging his hands into his pockets, when his lock of blond hair was returning to cover his eye in all circumstances...

The swordsman winced. He had never noticed how pathetic he could be when he was thinking about the cook and his infuriating odd habits, which had become, in spite of himself, charming fantasies. Zoro then sincerely hesitated to hit his head against the wall of the crow's nest.

Was it possible that his way of seeing the cook had evolved without his permission? Did he betray himself in any way for Sanji to notice and Franky to point it out to him the day before? At this thought, Zoro clenched his teeth. Of course that must have been the case. He knew the cook as uncompromising as he was about his principles, and there he hadn't only announced a change in his feelings, he had offered to start a new chapter in their relationship. How could he imagine that he had dared to suggest such a thing if he hadn't perceived even a possibility of an affirmative answer to his question? Whence his anger when he didn't said anything, he realized.

The words of the cyborg then hit him again.

 _"Since when you're freakin' out like that?"_

Since when, the swordsman wondered. Because the engineer was right, he was petrified. Dumbfounded by the ease with which the cook had imposed himself in his life until he had become essential. Stunned by his total lack of distrust towards the evolution of their relationship he hadn't seen coming. That he wouldn't even have questioned if Sanji hadn't revealed his own feelings. If he hadn't forced him to face reality.

The fencer blew to calm himself down. The sensations he felt when he was thinking about the cook were appealing, but they were also confusing him. Objectively, he didn't particularly want to go without the prospect of experimenting a bit more because he trusted his crewmate but... What he was feeling was totally unknown to him.

And now that he was aware of their existence, the dangerousness of these emotions appeared to him in the open. In the midst of temptation, they remained treacherous. Proof was he hadn't even felt them settle in him!

His goal then came back to him with the strength of the years and sacrifices endured. He couldn't deviate from the path he had drawn.

 _"This is what having a stomach ache is like, it's full of new adventures and obstacles to overcome!"_

Zoro didn't thank his captain for this sentence which didn't bring him any comfort.

* * *

"Insects are the ideal food for carnivorous plants. Here, she'll be in her element", Chopper said, closing his book.

With the help of Ussop, Franky, Brook and Luffy, the reindeer had moved the plant close to the tangerine trees. In this place, it was protecting the precious fruits of the navigator and it stopped trying to swallow the straw hat crew's captain as soon as it had the opportunity.

"It's pretty cool!" Luffy agreed. "And Nami is super happy to use a natural method to keep insects away of her trees!"

"Not to mention that she'll be able to scare birds that come to eat seeds", Ussop added.

"Let's eat!" Sanji's voice suddenly sounded from the kitchen.

Luffy was the first to dash, not without addressing one last promise to the plant.

"If you do your job well, I'll ask Sanji to gimme something for you!"

* * *

Sanji put his dish towel back on the kitchen counter. He had cleaned all the dishes. He had even wiped and put it away. His table was sparkling, his worktops were shining and the floor had been swept. He had done everything humanly possible. He couldn't go back anymore.

Sighing, the blond came out of his kitchen and breathed in the fresh sea air to give himself courage. He went down the stairs and quickly saw the figure of the swordsman sitting against the ship's rail. The sun had gone down a few moments before and he had to meditate. Silence was total around them and he supposed the others had already came back to their rooms except for Chopper who was on watch and had decided to settle in the library to study at the same time.

The cook lit a cigarette before observing Zoro for a few moments. He had truly thought about it. He knew what he wanted and what he was willing to offer. But not at any price. He would probably be in pain, but he knew it was better to cut off his arm to stop bleeding than bleed to death. He had even decided he wouldn't be angry at the swordsman because he couldn't demand him something he couldn't give. Yes, it would hurt but he would survive. Nobody had forced him to come to that and he had to take responsibility for what he was feeling, for better and for worse.

So for his own good and Zoro's, he had to clarify things tonight. He was sick and tired of waiting for the swordsman to "think about it", if he really intended to do it one day. Despite his efforts, the atmosphere had remained tense between them and he just didn't have any more patience now. Even if he had to admit that Zoro wasn't provoking him more than usual, he wanted to crash him in a wall every time he was seeing him. Finally, the fencer had been right when he had told him that putting into words what was happening was more of his domain than his.

So tonight, he was going to find words for their relationship. And finish it.

"Nami-san said next island will soon be in sight", he said as a prelude, coming to lean on beside the swordsman sitting on the ground.

"Good."

Sanji sighed. He was sure that Zoro was feeling he wanted to talk to him, but he didn't do anything to make it easier for him. The cook then gave him a quick look. The swordsman had opened his eyes and was closely watching his swords thanks to the moon and the stars light. Finally, this picture strengthened his decision and he turned completely towards him.

"We need to talk."

The swordsman stared at him for a few seconds and then shrugged before getting up. He was coming to the end of his own time limit and he was almost sure his decision was the right one so he may as well get started right away.

"If you want to."

Facing him, the blond rolled his eyes.

"You could make an effort to seem interested!"

"I am", the swordsman dryly replied. "I told you I needed time to think and you've been insufferable since then. You hardly open your mouth, except for kicking my ass or insulting me! So I know you want to talk about it, I did my best for my part and I'm listening to you! What more do you want?!"

"It's your fault, stupid musclehead! You get on my nerves with your need to think about obvious stuff!" Sanji responded in the same tone, feeling they were back on the verge of an umpteenth fight the way Zoro was gripping his swords tight.

Yet he raised a hand in the air in surrender as he pulled with the other on his cigarette.

"Okay, fine."

He took a deep breath.

"This relationship thing between us."

The swordsman nodded.

"I think it'd be better not to try after all."

Zoro frowned. He had understood that he was the most hesitant one of them.

"Don't get me wrong, nothing has changed on my side but there's a variable I hadn't considered until then and that closes the case", the blond whispered, exhaling the smoke.

"Which one?"

Sanji pointed with his chin the three swords that were resting on the swordsman's hips and this one followed his gaze, unsure.

"I can't beat this", the cook said the most naturally in the world.

"You think you'll be an obstacle to my dream?" the fencer inquired with interest.

"It's not me the obstacle. It's your dream that keeps us apart."

"Huh?"

Zoro was totally lost. Sanji had swept aside his greatest fear, the one he had spent days analyzing and understanding, but something else was happening that he didn't know!

"What are you talking about, shitty cook?" he growled.

"Kuina-chan."

"What, Kuina?" the swordsman repeated, incredulous.

"Do you realize the place you gave her?" the cook calmly continued. "Because I have. And I can't beat her."

"But what is-"

"My dream is only to see an ocean even if it's legendary", the blond cut him. "But you... The dream of your life, it's hers! You promised her father to fulfill her dream! You're ready to die for it. To die for her. I can't beat a ghost", he finally whispered, looking at his burnt cigarette.

"Hell, what's that got to do with anything?" the fencer got annoyed. "I don't understand a thing!"

Sanji sighed loudly before fixing his gaze on his.

"You've never grieve, you idiot, you've based all your life on this promise. You're in love with a memory and me, I'll never be enough."

The swordsman's eyes widened.

"Wait... You're jealous of Kuina?" he summed up, astonished.

"I'm not jealous of her, she's dead, moron!" the cook got impatient. "I'm just telling you the connection between you is too strong to allow anything else to have a place in your life. Gee, try to follow!"

"Yes, you're jealous", Zoro kept on, his smirk back to the corner of his mouth. "Damn, you really are stupid."

Furious, Sanji was about to send him a monumental kick to remind him of the minimum of respect to which he was entitled to when the lips of the swordsman crashed against his own.

"I prefer when you don't think so much", the fencer growled against the cook's mouth, who froze with surprise.

He then brutally pushed him away and glared at him. For his part, the swordsman folded his arms before quietly gazing at him.

"Kuina was my best friend. She and I had the same dream and we made a promise, that's all. Whether she's alive or dead, I'll become the best swordsman in the world and that, there's nothing you can do about it."

Sanji silently stared at him and Zoro went on, looking right into his eyes.

"All of this has nothing to do with her, or with you actually. The only question I had to answer was whether I could achieve my goal despite this relationship."

The cook frowned, slowly understanding the logic of the man facing him.

"So... you decided something after all?" he mumbled after a few moments.

In reply, Zoro attacked his lips again and this time, Sanji had neither the courage nor the desire to push him back. He wanted to believe it was the swordsman's answer. A positive answer for him. However, a dreadful doubt was still squeezing his chest and preventing him from fully enjoy the present moment.

He stepped back to come to his senses and Zoro was surprised to find him so serious.

"What now?" he said bluntly.

"Zoro..."

The swordsman watched without a word Sanji nervously pulling a new cigarette out of his pack. When the flickering flame of his lighter appeared and the shadows emerged on his face, he understood the blond was about to confide totally and he got ready to do the same. He knew the conversation wasn't over and they hadn't tackled the heart of the matter. He wouldn't escape it.

Sanji took a long breath of his cigarette before fixing his gaze firmly on his.

"I told you, I can no longer put up with an occasional relationship solely based on physical attraction. I'm not interested in sharing your bed according to your desires and moods without emotional counterparty anymore. Maybe that's stupid for you but that's how it is. I want it to be mutual and exclusive, and if it can't be, I'd rather have nothing at all."

"I know and I don't want to."

Sanji's heart missed a beat. So that was it, he had his answer. Clear, fast, sharp. Like a sword. He might have started this conversation thinking he was going to cut short this hope, but the fencer's explanations had reopened a dent in spite of himself and his refusal was all the more painful.

With all the will he could, he took a step back in order to escape from his heavy look.

"Okay. We'll leave it there, then", he whispered.

He was going to walk away when Zoro roughly grabbed him by the arm, uncomfortable.

"No, you don't get it", he muttered, blushing. "I know what you want and I'm okay. I don't want to be an... occasional thing."

The cook's heart missed another beat, but this time he could barely believe it.

"I told you I was gonna think about all this and that's what I did", the swordsman spoke again more confidently, releasing his grip on the blond's arm. "I'm feeling there's something different between us compared with the beginning of our arrangement and there's no way I'd give up just because this thing is weird."

Sanji frowned. He had heard everything but he wasn't sure he had followed the fencer's logic.

"What are you trying to tell me, marimo?"

Surprisingly, Zoro had a sparkling smile of provocation.

"That you're a challenge. And I don't shrink from any challenge."

The blond's breathing raced for a moment and he pulled the cigarette out of the corner of his mouth, carefully staring at the swordsman under the dim light of the moon. If he had understood correctly, he had just got the most similar love declaration from him. Zoro was considering his new feelings as a challenge and Sanji appreciated his point of view. He had no doubt for himself that this decision would call into question many elements of his life.

"Are you sure you know what you're getting into?" he inquired suspiciously. "It implies a minimum of bond between us, and you better not use that just to have sex."

"I'm not an idiot", Zoro scowled. "On the other hand, we must be clear. There's no way you're gonna do or wait for stupid stuff with you shitty romanticism. I'm not a chick, got it?"

"I wasn't counting on it anyway", the cook snapped back.

"I won't make you a declaration of love and it's not even worth thinking about holding my hand!" he added, folding his arms menacingly.

"That's what I was afraid of."

In front of the tensed features of the fencer, Sanji relaxed completely and burst out laughing. This evening hadn't gone as he had planned and he appreciated it all the more.

"Don't worry, I don't intend to change you, marimo. That's how I like you."

The swordsman looked him up and down for a moment. He was going to tackle the point he cared about the most, the one he didn't want to go back over at any price.

"My dream will always come first."

"I know. Mine too."

Zoro nodded, finally not much surprised by the fact that the blond was sharing his opinion about it. A peaceful moment then passed between them, during which their eyes sealed their words. At last, the fencer spoke again, more determined than ever.

"Well. Are we good now?"

"What do you mean?"

"We have a deal?"

"I think so."

"Great."

Without waiting a second more, the swordsman suddenly pulled the cook and kissed him eagerly, barely allowing him to breathe. At first surprised, this one didn't refrain from quickly answering with the same impatience. Their breaths were then mixed for long minutes, their tongues caressing and rediscovering in a delicious way while their hands were bringing their body closer to the other.

"Marimo Man is a little desperate", the blond teased him, finally shifting and breathing heavily.

"Shut up", the swordsman growled in a hoarse voice.

"Seriously, whom did you talk to get such reasoning?" he asked him as the fencer was going down to his neck.

"Seriously, don't you wanna shut up for five minutes?"

Sanji applied his order literally for once and he answered the swordsman with a fiery kiss. He had missed his skin under his fingers. His harshness and his appetite for him too.

After a time he couldn't quantify, Zoro dragged him unceremoniously to their private place and the cook began to protest. For show.

"Can't you be a little gentler?" he grumbled as he felt the bedroom door crash into his back after that closed behind them.

"Don't make me believe you haven't been waiting for days", the fencer snickered, focusing on opening his shirt without tearing it.

"Stupid swordsman."

The insult had been hurled but the tone wasn't right and Sanji quickly let himself get caught by the caresses and kisses of his lover. He knew their reunion would be special. They had just reached an important stage in their relationship and their feelings would fuel the fire that was consuming them.

* * *

 _I really hope you liked this outcome and I'm eager to know what you thought about it._

 _This is not the end of my story. We're halfway there. Yeah, I had so many challenges in mind to test them._

 _See you around!_


	29. Operation Berries at all costs

_Welcome aboard for the new readers.  
Enjoy your reading._

* * *

 **Chapter 29**

 **Operation "Berries at all costs"**

The next morning, Sanji took the time to light a cigarette before getting out of bed. As he was smoking quietly, his eyes fell on the fencer's body asleep beside him. He could hardly believe they had just engaged in an assumed relationship and he even wondered for a moment why he had felt like it. When reality caught up with him, he knew that the hard part wouldn't be the eyes of others but their own feelings for each other that would be the most difficult to handle given their mode of communication and personalities.

"Shit, that's disgusting."

Zoro narrowed his eyes and stared at the cook who gave him a questioning look.

"You have to stop smoking here."

Sanji opened his mouth, scandalized.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" he got indignant.

"Am I looking like I'm kidding?"

The closed face and the dark eye of the swordsman assured Sanji he wasn't joking, and the cook sighed loudly.

"You're already starting to demand things and it hasn't even been twelve hours since we agreed. This isn't gonna work, marimo", he grunted, pointedly pulling on his cigarette butt.

"You wanted us to move to a new stage, right?" Zoro snickered. "And I know very well this kind of relationship involves compromises."

"Damn, you know that word?"

The swordsman showed him his middle finger for answer, and the blond laughed.

"Okay, I'll make an effort. And you, you're gonna stop leaving your clothes lying around everywhere. I'm not your maid."

"Fuck..."

"You wanted compromise and then you got it so don't complain."

With these words, the cook got up and grabbed his things. He had to hurry up to prepare the breakfast, he was already late.

"Leave the door open, your smoke is gonna make me sick."

"Don't push it, marimo swordsman."

He then slipped outside while the sun was forcing the barrage of the night and when he closed the door behind him, he noted in disbelief that the fencer had already fallen asleep again.

* * *

"Nami-san, would you want another cup of jasmine tea?"

"Yes, thank you, Sanji-kun."

"Robin-chan, what fruit would you like?"

"A kiwi fruit, please."

The blond twirled around the breakfast table and set his orders down before glancing at the other members of the crew and feeling generous.

"Who's still hungry for... waffles?"

Luffy's head literally unscrewed from his neck, drooling and wide-eyed.

"Me, Sanji, me! Me!"

"Never would've guessed", the cook said with a smile.

"Me too, please!" Brook asked.

"Oh yes, waffles!" Chopper begged.

"Is that possible to have cola on it?" Franky inquired.

"Absolutely."

"Super!"

"I'll take it with chocolate coulis!" Ussop got enthused.

Sanji went to his waffle maker and quickly served his hungry crewmates. He also made two small ones where he placed strawberries topped with whipped cream for his princesses whose eyes lit up, to his greatest joy. He was going to inquire again about the well-being of his friends when he noticed the swordsman hadn't touched the waffles. Frowning, Sanji sighed. Zoro and sugar...

"What do you want, marimo?"

This one slowly looked up, clearly surprised the cook asks his opinion or even takes it into account.

"Hurry up, I don't have all day", the blond crossly kept on.

"Uh... Eggs?"

Sanji seemed to think for a second before shrugging. He then set him a large portion of omelette sprinkled with pieces of ham and cheese down. Delighted, the swordsman tucked into his meal with a good appetite.

Finally, the cook completed the breakfast with fresh tangerine juice that everyone enjoyed. He was beginning to clear when Nami spoke.

"The situation is critical", she announced in a voice that contrasted with the feel-good atmosphere. "We talked about it with Luffy yesterday and we have to do something."

"We have to do something", the captain agreed, swallowing an umpteenth waffle.

"What's going on?" the little doctor asked, worried.

"We're out of treasure!" the navigator grieved. "We can't go on like that!"

"We can't!" Luffy strongly repeated, his mouth full. "We need food!"

"And berries", Nami added fervently.

Faces nodded softly around the table, aware that without treasure, they could say goodbye to their full stomachs and their peace and quiet.

"Here's what we'll do", the young woman went on with determination. "On the next island we're going to land, an auction sale of paintings by a famous anonymous artist is going to take place and we're going to use it."

"We're gonna steal his works?" Franky winced. "It's not pretty-pretty..."

"Security is likely to be at the maximum", the musician thought.

"And how are we gonna fence these things?" the swordsman grumbled. "We can't even use it immediately."

"No, you bunch of dummies!" the navigator cut them off. "It's not about stealing the paintings but swiping the bids! Invitations have been distributed to the elites of the nation and I'm sure the sales will reach records. All the benefits must come back to a Celestial Dragon because the artist makes him a gift of his works. A little more or a little less money, he won't even see the difference when we badly need it!"

"Stealing a Celestial Dragon, are you sure it's a good idea?" Ussop worried.

"We'll have to be careful", Robin agreed. "In addition to the Celestial Dragons of all Grand Line, the Marines may be present to secure the auction."

Nami nodded firmly.

"That's why I've been thinking about a very specific plan. If everyone follows my instructions, we'll be gone before they even realize anything."

"Awesome!" Luffy exclaimed. "I hope we'll meet pops!"

* * *

Nami meticulously explained her strategy to her friends. As an expert in this field, she had thoroughly researched all the information available through the newspapers and she thought she had found the most effective way to achieve their intentions without being spotted. Now, there were a few hours before disembarking and everyone soon left the kitchen to get ready.

Sanji poured water into the sink to soak his plates. Franky and Robin brought him the last cutlery and the cook gushed about thanking to the archaeologist. He then turned to his dishes and was about to plunge his hands in it when the ship's carpenter stopped him.

"So, you made it up with your lover?"

Sanji almost dropped his cigarette butt from his mouth but he caught hold of it and turned around as naturally as possible.

"What are you talking about?" he asked him in a tone he hoped would be detached.

"That no one could miss your ultra bright smile this morning", the cyborg sneered while Robin was quietly approving, finishing her cup of coffee.

The cook tried to maintain his dignity and frowned. Franky seemed to know a little bit too much about it. Of course, he knew his bad mood of the last days hadn't gone unnoticed, but he was getting a bad feeling in front of the excited look of the cyborg.

"I knew Zoro wasn't as dumb as he looked", he continued, strengthened a bit more the blond's suspicions.

"What exactly do you think you know?" he inquired.

"Oh, nothing that's classified as defense secrets", the engineer answered. "I mean, we've heard everything from your shouting matches to your nervous breakdown through your adorable statements..."

Sanji felt himself turning pale and Franky wanted to put things right.

"No, don't worry! We didn't really listen, it's just I haven't soundproofed all the Sunny's rooms and you're not exactly discreet either. Besides, we imagine your reconciliation was especially super given your good mood but you were in your room so we don't know clearly how it-"

Robin's hand gently settled on his arm to stop him.

"Let's not embarrass our chef", she intervened, watching the hot cheeks of the man. "Just let him be happy."

Franky seemed disappointed for a second before shaking his head and going out cheerfully with the young woman. For his part, Sanji took a minute to take a regular breath again and he sighed heavily while returning to his dishes. He'd better learn to ignore their crewmates if he didn't want to die of shame too quickly.

* * *

Nami slipped on a pair of sunglasses and adjusted the scarf over her hair. The Sunny had just been hidden in a small creek a little away from the main town. The port was cluttered with Marines vessels and sumptuous tall sailing boats, which made it easy for them to disembark discreetly a little further without being suspect. The navigator then took a look at her crewmates to check their outfits.

"Look, I look like a real cowboy!" Chopper exclaimed in the direction of Brook.

The little reindeer had put a broad-brimmed hat over his head instead of his usual top hat, which hid a large part of his face.

"This is great!" the musician approved. "What do you think about me?"

He pointed to his huge multicolored Mexican poncho and the doctor applauded, amazed.

"You look wonderful!"

"Oh, thank you!"

"Hey, Nami, it doesn't hold up!" the captain suddenly showed the young woman, pointing to his Afro wig that had fallen again.

She rolled her eyes.

"Come here."

She then pushed on his head with all her strength to hold the wig.

"That should do."

"Awesome!"

Luffy started laughing as he was admiring himself with Ussop, who had dressed for the occasion with coveralls.

"This disguise is super!" Franky got enthused next to them as he showed off his carpenter working suit.

"It's your real outfit", the cook pointed him out, adjusting his impeccable suit.

"Why didn't you disguise yourself, Sanji?" Chopper then asked him.

"Sanji-kun doesn't need a disguise", Nami answered. "Nobody knows his face, it's not him on his wanted poster."

"You're famous as much as your talent", the swordsman snickered not far from him.

"You shut up, Marimo Head!" this one replied with fury. "I'm not the one who has to dye my hair because green isn't a legal color!"

Zoro scowled. He didn't like his disguise but he had had no choice. He thought the turquoise blue color now adorning his hair wasn't the most ordinary either, but that was all Franky had been able to supply.

"It's true that this is kind of strange" the navigator admitted, watching him. "But your hair was too recognizable, it's better than nothing."

"Swords aren't discreet either", Ussop pointed out.

"Like I care", the fencer grunted, folding his arms. "There's no way I take them off."

"Is everyone ready?" Robin then inquired, who had hidden a part of her face under a veil in the oriental manner while she had put on a long traditional dress.

"I'm ready, Robin-chan! You're absolutely gorgeous!"

Everyone then approved and the merry band set off for the auction room.

* * *

They arrived quickly in front of the imposing entrance of a luxurious hotel which was hosting the sale on the ground floor in a huge amphitheater. After walking around the building to check her information, Nami came back to her friends for her final recommendations.

"We're going to recap one last time", she decided.

"That's fine, we're not stupid", the swordsman grumbled.

"Oh yeah? Then explain to me why we always end up in trouble?" the navigator barked.

Zoro shrugged.

"We just don't have any lucky, that's all."

Nami clenched her teeth to not hit him and turned to the rest of her friends.

"Brook and Chopper, you go in first and you stand on either side of the room among the audiences. You'll supervise the progress of the auction."

The two friends nodded vigorously and Nami continued.

"Robin, Zoro, Luffy and Franky, you go through the back on my signal. Franky will neutralize the alarms along the way. As soon as you spot the vault, you part ways. Robin and Zoro, you'll keep watch over the place to make sure Luffy and Franky aren't disturbed. The room will be guarded but you'll need to be as discreet as possible."

The young woman then turned to Ussop and Sanji.

"I have a change of plan for both of you", she told them.

"What can I do for you, Nami-san?" the blond rippled while Ussop was wincing.

"Most of the guests are staying on the floors of the hotel. You're going to check rooms and collect as much cash as possible. No bulky objects or too recognizable."

"Wh-What?! It's extremely dangerous!" the sniper exclaimed.

"Security level in the vault doesn't allow us to put all our eggs in one basket", the navigator explained. "If we can't open it or if we get caught, you and Sanji-kun can at least allow us not to leave empty handed. I'll get you the room numbers."

"Whatever you want, Nami-san!" the cook danced again.

"Well", the young woman ignored him. "All groups have a walkie-talkie that works?"

Chopper, Brook, Robin, Ussop and Franky raised their devices to confirm it and Nami nodded.

"I'll be on channel one and I'll stay at the top of the amphitheater to coordinate the operations. I want you to keep me posted on every progress."

Everyone agreed and Nami shook her fist into the air.

"Operation "Berries at all costs", let's go!"

* * *

Everyone dispersed according to the instructions. Brook and Chopper pushed the doors of the amphitheater while Zoro, Robin, Franky and Luffy were walking around the building towards the back door to wait for the signal. Finally, while Sanji and Ussop were waiting a little further, Nami put her glasses on her nose and went to the reception to discover the numbers of the most interesting rooms.

After passing the heavy gold-rimmed entrance doors, she grabbed a cup of coffee from a small table that hadn't been cleared yet and walked with a big smile to the receptionist. He smiled back and when Nami lowered her glasses in a calculated gesture to reveal her most innocent eyes, the man was already under her spell.

"I'm sorry, I don't remember my room number..." she simpered.

"T-The number? This isn't a problem, miss", the receptionist answered, concerned about pleasing her. "Don't you have the key? The number is written on it."

"Oh, of course! How silly of me!" the young woman laughed.

She put the cup and her huge purse down on the counter and began to search it pointedly. With a precise motion, she then tipped the coffee that spilled on the counter and on the employee's desk.

"Oh my God, I am so clumsy!" she apologized, falsely horrified.

"Don't worry, miss! I'll fix it, just sit tight!" the man offered her immediately before slipping away in the back.

"You are too kind", she thanked him with a huge smile.

Nami then waited until he had completely disappeared before suddenly grabbing the computer and turning it toward her. She tapped away frantically until she found the names she was looking for. Grabbing a sheet of paper and a pencil, she quickly wrote down her findings. She was just putting the computer back when the employee came back with a sponge and rags in hand.

"Thank you, I found them!" she exclaimed as she turned away. "See you later!"

The poor receptionist didn't have time to answer her that the beautiful woman had already crossed the doors toward the outside.

* * *

"Use the back stairs, you'll be more discreet", the navigator said, handing her list to the sniper.

"Your wish is my command, Nami-san. You can count on us!" the blond assured her.

The two young men walked away and Nami went to the amphitheater. As soon as she stepped through the doors, she leaned against the railing overlooking the room. It already was a little crowded. Most of the Celestial Dragons had a seat and the other nobles were contenting themselves with standing in the alleys.

The young woman took her walkie-talkie out and called Brook.

"How's it going?" she asked him.

" _No difficulty",_ he replied _. "For now, the distinguished guests are not yet all settled."_

"All right. What about you, Chopper?"

 _"There are more and more people",_ the voice of the little reindeer answered _. "The beginning of the auction should be soon."_

"Keep me informed and watch the transactions as soon as an auction is assigned."

She cleared the frequency and looked into the crowd. The Marines had deployed plainclothes officers to ensure security: she was recognizing them by their furtive and inquisitive looks towards the people around them.

The young woman took her walkie-talkie out again to reach all her crewmates at the same time.

 _"The Marines officers have decided to do without their uniforms but they're definitely here. Be careful."_

* * *

 _"The Marines officers have decided to do without their uniforms but they're definitely here. Be careful."_

Luffy looked up at the small back door where they would enter, excited.

"So, we go?!"

"A little more patience, Captain", Robin answered. "We have to wait for the signal."

"Oh..."

At his side, Zoro yawned and sat against the wall of the hotel. Franky then took a deck of cards out of his pocket and settled down on the floor with a smile.

"What do you say to a poker game?"

* * *

Nami looked at her watch. The auction had started for more than an hour and the upset prices were flying away to reach crazy amounts of berries. The world nobility seemed to have taken a real passion for these paintings of unknown origin and they weren't hesitating to pay incredible sums to have the opportunity to impress the others.

Glancing at the program, the navigator noticed that three-quarters of the paintings had already been sold off.

"Brook, Chopper, have the payments been made?"

 _"Yes, most of them are in cash to avoid interest",_ the little reindeer said.

 _"The last payment had just been sent to the vault in big suitcases",_ Brook's voice confirmed.

"Robin, Franky, Luffy, Zoro, you're up next", Nami decided. "No need to wait until the auction is over, security will be reinforced at that time and they won't waste time to transfer funds to a safe place."

 _"Roger, Nami!"_ the enthusiastic voice of the captain replied _. "Let's go!"_

* * *

"Take it easy, guys. It's about not being spotted too fast", the cyborg whispered, poking his head through a new door.

The four friends entered the room, attentive. Hacking the front door had been child's play and they had taken a long staircase that had led them underground. For the moment, they had avoided falling on guards by making detours but the more time passed, the greater was the possibility of having to use force.

"Where are we now? We haven't been here before?" the swordsman asked after a few minutes.

"Give it up, Zoro", Franky sighed.

"We are close to the vault", Robin claimed. "Security will be strengthened to access it."

"Oh, look!" Luffy exclaimed.

"Bingo."

The cyborg approached a door sealed with a digital code and grinned from ear to ear.

"Amateurs."

He connected his device to the electronic box and after a few seconds, the door opened. Luffy, Franky, Robin and Zoro stepped forward before suddenly freeze. The room in which they had just entered was very likely the control room judging by the large panel covered with buttons and levers in front of them. In addition, three men were turning their backs on them, busy putting down big suitcases probably filled with notes on a big mechanized elevator.

"Here you go, all those of the last payment", one of the men sighed, wiping his forehead.

He pushed a button and the elevator climbed to the ceiling. At the top, a trap door opened and the money disappeared inside. After a few moments, the elevator came down, empty.

"So, is there the vault up here?!"

The three men turned around in surprise. A boy wearing a huge Afro cut had a smile all over his face while three other people with mismatched looks were sighing heavily beside him.

"Wh-What are you doing here?" one of the men stammered. "Who are you?"

"Dos Fleurs. Clutch!"

Robin's extra arms immobilized the three men, who then collapsed to the floor, unconscious.

"Well done, Robin", Franky said. "You saved the day."

She nodded and took her walkie-talkie out.

"We found the vault. Luffy and Franky will be able to get started."

 _"Perfect. The auction is still in progress, you've got some time before the delivery of the next payment",_ the voice of Nami replied _._

"I'll keep you updated", the archaeologist concluded, hanging up.

Luffy then jumped on the elevator and patted the place next to him, smiling widely.

"Come on, climb, Franky! We have to go up there!"

The cyborg hoisted himself up and Robin activated the button that triggered the ascent. When they reached the top, the trapdoor opened again and then closed behind them.

"What now?" the swordsman asked the brunette.

"We're watching over the room until they come down with the money", she answered. "With a little luck, there are very few deadly traps up there."

Zoro refrained from commenting and went to the door in case new enemies appeared.

* * *

"We still have a lot to do?" Ussop grumbled, picking an umpteenth lock.

Sanji looked at his list and shook his head.

"Three more."

"Don't you think we already have enough?"

"Nami-san trusts us. If the three morons screw up, she's counting on us!" the cook solemnly declared.

"The three morons?" Ussop repeated, forcing a little more on his tools.

"Of course. Robin-chan is far too smart to fall into any trap!"

"Of course", the sniper snarled. "Oh, this is it!"

Ussop and Sanji entered the hotel room and immediately closed the door behind them. Ussop hurriedly searched the wardrobe for the full pockets of their rich preys and Sanji had a drag of his cigarette while moving scattered sheets of paper on the desk.

"I have a wallet!" the sniper happily exclaimed after a few moments.

"And I found a jewelry box but I'm not sure it's a good idea."

Ussop approached and they gazed upon magnificent stones on brooches and necklaces.

"They must be worth a fortune", the cook estimated. "The problem is they'll be too easily traceable, we'll never be able to exchange them."

"Yeah, you're probably right", his friend said.

They turned away from the jewels and searched the room for a few moments more before getting ready to do the next. The newly discovered berries landed in the sniper's bag and they went out noiselessly.

Once again in the corridor, Sanji pointed out the next room and they headed for there. Checking that no one was wandering around, Ussop knelt in front of the lock to force it when the blond brutally put his hand on his shoulder.

"Wait, something isn't right", he said, looking at a door a little further. "Can't you hear?"

The sniper froze and picked up his ears before shaking his head.

"No, I don't hear anything. What do you think it is?"

Suddenly, the cook darted down the hallway and opened the door in question with a kick that ripped it off its hinges. Frantic, Ussop ran to him, praying that no one had seen or heard them.

"What's wrong with you, what the hell was that?!" he got angry.

Sanji pulled on his cigarette butt and took a step into the room.

"I'll recognize this sound among all. It's a woman who's crying."

* * *

"Wow, it's gigantic!" Luffy whistled as he saw the wide door of the reinforced vault in front of them.

"Holy shit, do you see the size of this security key?" Franky winced.

The captain wanted to rush into the room but the cyborg held him firmly.

"Don't walk on the floor, there are certainly motion detectors. Look, the suitcases are gone. They have probably been stored in an automated way. This room is only accessible for machines."

"So what do we do?" the young man inquired.

"I'm ready to take this to the next stage. Franky Tank!"

The cyborg's legs turned into caterpillars and he slid to the ground to roll on the floor. Laughing, the captain perched on his back.

"Go ahead!"

They soon arrived in front of the huge vault door and Franky nodded at his captain.

"Climb up there and see if you find an opening through which the suitcases were able to come in. Meanwhile, I'll try to open the main door.

"Aren't you gonna be spotted?" Luffy asked him, frowning.

"Don't worry. I'm a man-machine so if I don't move too much, security shouldn't be able to make the difference with one of their robots."

"Okay!"

The straw hat boy threw his elastic arms forward and clung to the top of the vault before jumping up there. Franky took his appearance back and began to take his tools out, remaining as still as possible. He tested his electronic device but the vault was too sophisticated. Frowning, the cyborg decided to strip the alarm wires to manually short-circuit it.

"I think I found the entrance for the suitcases!" Luffy said suddenly. "There's like a hatch at the top of the vault."

"Try to slide it without breaking it. It could trigger security."

Luffy slipped his fingers between the cracks in the vault to move the opening, but it seemed solidly locked. He braced himself to gain more strength and pulled more frankly. The hatch then abruptly shifted under the imparted power and the captain swayed at the top of the vault. He brutally pulled the weight of his body forward to avoid falling, but the motion made him lose his wig.

"Watch out, Franky!"

The wig landed on the ground in a soft noise. Holding their breaths, the two friends stared at the object for a silent second. Franky was just about to breath of relief when the tearing sound of an alarm made itself heard. He sighed.

"Fuck it."

* * *

 _Suspense! Isn't it great to have an adventure atmosphere after all this drama?_


	30. The berries of shame

_Thanks to yukino76 for your review._

 _Enjoy your reading._

* * *

 **Chapter 30**

 **The berries of shame**

The deafening din of the alarm instinctively made the eyes of the young archaeologist look up towards the ceiling.

"They had been spotted."

Not far from her, Zoro glanced at the three men still stunned in a corner. He then positioned himself at the door and unsheathed his swords.

"We gotta go. We're gonna have company."

Robin turned to the main board and pushed the elevator button but a light flashed on her left.

"Commands are blocked, it asks me an access code", she understood.

"Then find something cos it seems they're not gonna help us."

Indeed, the security of the hotel had already turned up and the fencer suddenly moved away to avoid the bullet of a man who had aimed him from the corridor.

"Oni Giri!"

About ten guards stationed a little further collapsed, cut short, and the swordsman resumed his position in front of the main door. For her part, Robin tried a few buttons on the board and tried again to push the one of the elevator but an electrical discharge made her step back and she cried in pain.

"Are you okay?" Zoro asked as he was warding off a new burst of bullets in their direction.

"Yes... I'll try to close the door."

"Make it fast. There are more and more of them."

Robin took out her walkie-talkie to reach their two companions upstairs.

"Franky, we don't control commands for now. You'll have to manage by yourselves."

 _"No problem, we got it!"_ the cyborg's voice replied her, amid firing noises.

The young woman then turned her gaze back on the front door that Zoro was defending with his blades. More and more men were rushing to them. She had to find a way to unlock commands.

* * *

Franky rolled to the ground to avoid a robot firing in his direction.

"Looks like a piece of cake!" he said. "I'll show you how to aim! Beans left!"

A sight appeared on his left hand as it came off from his arm to make room for a machine gun. The cyborg shot at the robot, which soon fell to pieces on the floor, smoking. Franky put his gun in his arm and looked up at his captain.

"Do you find it, Luffy?"

The straw hat boy had destroyed another robot whose carcass was also lying on the floor. He then had climbed back to the top of the v ault while the cyborg had taken care of their other enemies. He didn't want to leave empty-handed and was still trying to move the hatch.

"This thing's not budging!" he got annoyed.

He stepped back and adjusted his wig he had recovered.

"Hurry up, Luffy, they're at it again!" his carpenter warned him, now facing a huge machine chucking at him with lasers beams.

"If that's how it is, Gum-Gum Gatling!"

The sheet metal of the vault buckled under the fists avalanche before widen and eventually tear. A second alarm went off but Luffy didn't pay it any attention. In any case, they were already spotted. He plunged into the vault and threw dozens of bags on the roof while Franky was running as fast as he could to escape the robot gunfire. After a few minutes, the straw hat boy came out and called his crewmate.

"We can't carry everything but I got the maximum!"

"Let's roll! I'm gonna get rid of this machine and we're gone!"

The cyborg abruptly turned in front of his enemy and opened his mouth wide.

"Fresh Fire!"

The robot continued to move forward but the furnace got the better of it and he stabilized quickly, carbonized. Delighted, Franky improvised a little victory dance and Luffy met him, laughing for the final pose. However, they were soon brought back to earth when they heard an explosion coming from the control room that made them wobble.

"What's going on?" Luffy asked.

"Robin said the buttons are blocked. They must try to defend themselves", the engineer replied.

The captain frowned and bit his thumb before blowing in it.

"Okay, we've got to make it quick then. Gear Third!"

His hand swelled and he threw it backwards to gather more speed.

"Watch out, we're coming! Gum-Gum Giant Pistol!"

* * *

Zoro looked up at the ceiling which was cracking. Robin had been able to release the manual closing of the door with a small box under the control panel and they had had a break a few moments. Unfortunately, the Marines had arrived as a back-up for the hotel guards and they had set explosives down against the door. The explosion had thrown the swordsman and the archaeologist against the opposite wall and the door had shattered. Nevertheless, they had both quickly recovered to protect themselves and at the cost of some attacks, they had been able to get rid of their assailants.

However, as soon as they had taken advantage of this relative calm, the ceiling had began to shake and Zoro had been quick to understand what was happening. Luffy was using his strength to create a way, but the already weakened walls would transmit their weakness to the ceiling that wouldn't support more.

As the fencer had planned, Franky and Luffy soon landed beside them, full with bags. They had jumped in the middle of a hole created around the elevator while the walls were cracking more and more. Robin suddenly stepped aside as a stone crashed a few inches from her. The rest of the ceiling above them cracked more and a metallic squeak was heard.

"Oh no, the vault weight is gonna sink the place!" Franky became alarmed.

The swordsman pulled out his blades.

"Take cover, I'll take care of it", he decided.

His friends stepped back in a corner with the first three unconscious guards and Zoro positioned himself, focused. He waited until the ceiling sank completely and the huge vault began to appear so that a determined smile would appear on his face.

"One Sword Style: Lion Strike!"

In a clear and precise blow, the blade pierced the steel of the vault which fell in two equal parts on both sides of the room. Crashing on the ground, the weight of the steel and the falling combined made the walls tremble, yet held steady. Dust and pieces flew violently in all directions while the straw hat crew members were protecting themselves with their arms as well as they could.

Once calm returned, the friends noted that the rest of the money contained in the vault now open in two was slowly flying in the room. Luffy then began to dance, laughing under this rain of banknotes.

"Nami would have loved it!" he laughed.

"We'd better hurry", the cyborg intervened, anxious. "If the rest of the hotel wasn't aware something is happening, they are now."

* * *

Sanji cheerfully crossed the hotel doorstep, Ussop on his heels. As soon as they entered, the cook noticed that a beautiful creature was hiding in a corner with a tear-stained face. He jumped to her side to help her but the young woman moved back a little more while her tears were intensifying.

"I mean you no harm, do not worry, lovely lady! I am here to save you!"

Sanji whirled in the air and Ussop approached with a sigh while pushing back his friend.

"Stop scaring her. Are you okay?" he kindly asked her.

The young woman seemed rather frail to him. She had long black braided hair, she looked tired and her eyes were red with tears. He gave her twenty years at most. She stared at him for a moment before gently nodding.

"Y-Yes. What-what are you doing here?" she asked in a weak voice.

The sniper gave her a reassuring smile.

"My friend thought you needed help", he explained. "Is everything okay?"

"Well, actually..."

The young woman moved slightly and a metallic sound was heard. Ussop looked down and saw with horror that one of her ankles was wrapped in a chain.

"Who would dare to do such a thing?!" Sanji exclaimed, who had also searched where the sound was coming from.

"It-It's my master", she stammered.

"Your master?" the blond was indignant. "Don't tell me you're a slave?!"

The young woman lowered her head.

"Yes, I live to serve him for almost three years..."

The cook began to smoke.

"It is simply not acceptable that a beautiful young woman like yourself has to obey someone! I'll make minced meat out of-"

"Hey, what's that?" Ussop suddenly interrupted them.

Sanji and the young woman turned to him. The sniper was pointing at a painting on an easel in the room.

"These are my paintings", the prisoner said.

"It looks a lot like the paintings in the auction", the blond noticed as he approached to examine it.

"It's normal. It's me who paints them", the young woman then whispered.

"What?!" the two friends exclaimed.

Sanji and Ussop brutally turned to her, perfectly flabbergasted.

"You're famous!" Ussop exclaimed.

"Why is an artist as talented as you treated as a slave?" the blond wondered.

"In fact, I do these paintings but it is my master who sells them", she softly explained.

"You mean he forces you to paint them and then he uses them to make money?!" Ussop understood. "It's absolutely horrible!"

"These Celestial Dragons really are disgusting human beings", the cook spat.

The young woman lowered her eyes.

"We've been painters and sculptors for generations in my family and it's our only livelihood. Almost three years ago, a Celestial Dragon came to our island. He loved my paintings and he offered me to buy some of them. Of course, I accepted and I went to put them on his ship. I was never able to come out again. He imprisoned me and took me away from my family, I couldn't do a thing. Since then, he forces me to paint and then he takes them to sell them..."

New tears ran down her face and the cook clenched his teeth.

"What a scumbag..."

"You know, my island is somewhere close around here", she said in the midst of her sobs. "I tried to escape but I couldn't... I'd like to see my family so much..."

She showed them her reddened and damaged ankle by dint of pulling on the chain. Livid with anger, Sanji broke it with a precise kick that made the young woman jump.

"We'll take you home", he decided, putting a new cigarette butt between his teeth.

"R-Really?" she stuttered, trying to stand up. "I don't want to cause you any trouble, I can handle it..."

"Don't worry, we won't let anyone hurt you anymore!" the sniper approved. "My name's Ussop and he's Sanji", he then introduced himself.

Tears drowned again the eyes of the young woman, this time filled with gratitude.

"You're so nice. Th-Thank you so much. My-My name's Iris."

She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and then hobbled to a corner of the room while Sanji went immediately to her side to support her. She showed a large canvas with bright colors to her new friends.

"I'd like to take it", she whispered, stroking it with her fingertips. "That's my only treasure, you know."

"It's magnificent!" Ussop exclaimed in amazement.

"This is my hometown. I constantly postpone the moment when my master will get it. I always tell him it's not finished because it's my only memory now..."

Sanji took the painting with determination and helped the young woman to stand up straight.

"You are going to see your island again, Iris, I swear!"

The young woman nodded and they were about to get on the move when the floor shook beneath their feet. Ussop's gaze instantly crossed the one of the cook who gritted his teeth.

"I knew it. These three idiots have been spotted. There's no time to waste."

* * *

"Robin, what's going on?" Nami got alarmed. "The ground shook here!"

Concealed behind a marble column, the navigator glanced anxiously below. She was seeing the Marine's officers stir in the crowd that was still fiercely debating prices. The shock had been light and no one seemed to have noticed it among the buyers.

" _We were attacked but it's all right_ ", her friend's voice replied. " _We have recovered some of the payments and we are on our way."_

"Great. I'll get everyone out. See you at the Sunny."

Nami then connected the frequency to warn Brook, Chopper and Sanji.

"Guys, everybody out. Be on the Sunny in ten minutes or we'll leave without you."

No sooner said, she disappeared through the wide front doors and made off to the ship without further ado.

* * *

"Ten minutes to be on the Sunny, is she serious?" Ussop grumbled.

"Shut up and move", Sanji cut him, supporting Iris. "If Nami-san said that, it's because there's a good reason."

The sniper muttered between his teeth before cautiously sticking his head out of the hallway to make sure no one was there. Reassured, he then went to the elevators.

* * *

"We there yet?" Luffy asked as he was running with his crewmates through the basement mazes.

"We shouldn't be too far away", Franky answered, his arms full with bags.

"Wait, where is Zoro?" Robin suddenly asked.

The three friends stopped abruptly and glanced around, looking for their friend. Footsteps were heard nearby and the cyborg winced.

"Never mind, he'll be fine. We've got to get out of here."

* * *

"Shit, they stopped the elevators!" Sanji fumed.

"They must try to trap us!" Ussop panicked.

"Hurry up, take the stairs!" the cook ordered, kicking the door open.

The three young people hurtled down the steps, but they barely went down two floors when the lights went out and Ussop suppressed a cry of panic.

"Keep moving, they want to slow us down!" the blond said, taking the lead to check out the path.

They continued downstairs as quickly as possible in the darkness until Sanji violently met an obstacle that made him stumble backwards, Iris's painting almost escaping his hands.

"What the fuck is-"

"Is that you, cook? What the hell are you doing here?" the swordsman wondered in front of him.

Sanji stood up, furious, while the emergency lights weakly took over.

"Can you hear yourself? You, what the fuck are you doing out here, you moron?! Weren't you suppose to be with the others in the basement?!"

"Yeah, but they got lost."

"Zoro, couldn't you tell something was up when you continued upstairs while the exit is on the ground floor?" Ussop asked him, jaded.

"I didn't notice", the swordsman said, shrugging his shoulders.

The cook ran a hand over his face.

"Well, never mind, we'll take care of your inability to orient yourself later. Right now, we must get out of here!"

The group began to hurtle down the steps towards the exit again. A few minutes later, they finally tumbled into the foyer under the questioning gaze of hotel guests in front of their disheveled look. Sanji immediately spotted the four security guards in front of the outside doors and he tightened his hold on the painting.

"Don't stop for anything or anybody."

"What are you gonna do?" Ussop worried.

In reply, the cook rushed to the four men and threw the painting in the air to not be bothered.

"Longe! Basses Cote! Brochette! Escalope!"

He recovered the painting with ease, leaving his four opponents stunned and bloody on the ground. He then dragged on his cigarette before opening the door for his friends.

"Hurry up, you two fools", he growled. "Iris, if you're tired, just tell me!" he added, melting on the way of the young woman.

Under the dumbfounded gaze of customers and staff, they ran past the heavy gates as several officers followed suit. After having passed the neighborhood of the hotel, they dashed to the small creek where the Sunny was awaiting them.

"By the way, who's she?" the fencer suddenly asked, pointing at Iris. "Why is she following us?"

"She's the one who does the paintings", Ussop explained as he continued to run. "A Celestial Dragon forced her to do them and then pocketed the money."

"So, why is she here?" the swordsman kept on.

"Because we're gonna take her home, marimo!"

"And what's that painting you're holding?"

At these words, Iris stumbled and fell to the ground. Immediately, the three men stopped and Sanji rushed towards her.

"Sorry", she whispered, totally exhausted. "I'm weak and my ankle doesn't allow me to keep up..."

"Oh no, the Marine is behind us!" Ussop panicked as he saw them heading towards them. "What are we gonna do?!"

"Running", Zoro decided, throwing Iris on his shoulder.

"Hey, what do you think you're doing, you fool?!" Sanji yelled as they were resuming their run. "It's a lady that you hold, not a sack of potatoes!"

"Shut up and run, stupid cook!"

* * *

Ussop, Zoro, Sanji and Iris soon met Robin, Franky and Luffy who were also rushing to the Sunny.

"Hey, Robin-chan!" the blond danced, coming next to her.

"Here you are, Zoro!" the captain got enthused. "You went with Ussop and Sanji?"

"Yeah, they got lost", the fencer nonchalantly retorted.

"Have you no shame?" Ussop got indignant at his side.

"Stop gabbing and run!" Franky interrupted them as he was glancing over his shoulder.

"This way", Robin suddenly showed them.

The group abruptly turned off at the corner of a dirt road and hide in a wide row of bushes.

"We need to get rid of these glues before leading them to the Sunny", the cook mumbled, squeezing the painting in his hands.

"It's pretty, Sanji!" Luffy raved. "You painted it?"

"Think I got time to paint since earlier?!" the blond barked.

"I have an idea", the archaeologist intervened. "Ussop, I am going to need your assistance."

"No problem", the sniper replied, proudly raising his head. "You can count on me!"

"Oh, hi!" Luffy said, noticing the young woman still on the fencer's shoulder. "You got lost too and Zoro found you?"

Sanji smacked his captain's head.

"Focus and stop spouting nonsense!"

"Get ready to run", Robin warned.

At these words, she closed her eyes and folded her arms in front of her.

"Doce Fleur!"

Arms sprang out on the twenty men looking for them and tied them up, snatching them a cry of surprise.

"It's up to you, Ussop", she then said to the sniper.

"Great, you'll see!" he exclaimed. "Watch out for your eyes, Flash Dial!"

The bright light blinded the assailants who couldn't escape Robin's grip and they screamed in terror. When the young woman released her multiple arms a few seconds later, they tried to get up but the deprivation of their main sense confused them and they stumbled heavily before falling to the ground.

"We'd better not waste any time, let's go!" Franky urged, grabbing his bags.

The crew left behind its improvised hiding place and resumed its frantic race.

Soon, the sails of the Sunny were in sight. Brook and Chopper waved at them from the deck while Nami maneuvered to get out as quickly as possible.

* * *

"These berries are the result of a true act of barbarism", Brook summed up.

"Yes, it's totally awful", Chopper got indignant, bandaging Iris' ankle.

"I knew it, we're always getting involved in tall tales," Nami grumbled, nevertheless counting the bags of notes with delight.

After the entire crew had sailed, Iris had told her story. Unanimously, it had been decided to head for her island located a few kilometers away and Sanji had served a snack on the deck to allow everyone to regain strength.

"I don't think the Marine spotted us", Ussop said while lowering his binoculars, relieved.

"Good, but we'll keep our disguises and we won't stay long. Above all, we mustn't have a Celestial Dragon looking for us", the navigator decided.

* * *

Soon, the island was in sight. It was a country land and its weather was spring-like. The small beach where they moored quickly gave way to vast country areas dotted with large wild flowers and the surroundings delighted the crew.

In front of the impatience of Iris, Sanji and Brook started first to accompany her while their other companions opted for following them after having concealed the Sunny at best and they made an appointment at the young woman's in the center of the only village.

The rest of the crew was about to get moving to meet them when Nami froze, noticing Franky and Luffy were carrying the bags of berries again.

"What are you two doing?" she asked, frowning.

"We'll give the money back to Iris", Franky answered.

"Wh-What?! What do you mean?" the young red-haired woman stammered.

"These paintings were hers, it's normal that the money belongs to her", his captain naturally explained.

The navigator's eyes widened.

"I've worked so hard to collect this treasure! That's not fair!" she vigorously protested.

"Don't you feel like you're heartless?" Ussop was offended. "This money was acquired by forcing a girl reduced to the state of slave to paint, I remind you!"

"But we released Iris, isn't that enough? I must tell you that freedom is priceless!" the young woman persisted.

"Ussop and the cook brought some money back from the rooms", Franky reminded her. "That should be enough for now."

"I can't see myself enjoying that money now that I know where it comes from", Chopper added.

Nami planted herself in front of her captain, her eyes full of tears, and grabbed a bag she squeezed against her with all her strength.

"Luffy, if you love me, you must leave me at least one of these bags!"

"This girl has no dignity", Zoro muttered to Ussop, who gravely nodded.

"I love everyone and I want everyone to be happy!" the straw hat boy joyfully replied. "We'll give her money to Iris, we'll keep the one found in the rooms and we'll have a big feast to celebrate our victory!"

His crew approved enthusiastically and Nami dropped the bag of berries on the ground.

"Nobody understands me", she sobbed against Robin's shoulder, who kindly patted her back.

* * *

"We'll never be able to thank you for all you've done!" Iris's mother repeated with emotion as she and her husband were hugging their daughter.

"It's only natural", Sanji said. "There was no way we could have let a damsel in distress suffer so much."

Iris had quickly met her parents in the family home and had thrown herself into their arms. After a few moments of tears and hugs, the young woman had introduced her two friends and told her ordeal during the last three years as well as her release.

"Do you think the Celestial Dragon could come back?" Brook worried.

"It wouldn't be in his interest", Iris replied. "If the other Celestial Dragons learn that one of them was behind these auctions, they would probably ban him from their caste because that would mean he tried to fool his own brothers."

"Let's hope he's too much of a coward to talk about anything then", the cook sighed.

"I'd like to invite all of you for dinner to thank you!" she offered with a charming smile.

"I'll be delighted, but our navigator wants us to go back to sea as soon as possible to avoid further trouble", Brook remembered.

"Please, let us show you our gratitude!" Iris's father kept on. "I assure you that you won't be disappointed!"

* * *

"That is so good!" Luffy gorged himself, swallowing a new brioche bread stuffed with meat.

"This is a specialty of our region", the head of the family told him with a smile.

When the rest of the crew had turned up at Iris's, the invitation for dinner had left no one indifferent and they had sat down with good cheer. Quickly, the table had been garnished with delicious food and tasty drinks to the delight of everyone.

"Our island is among the smallest of Grand Line but we have several culinary specialties", Iris proudly explained. "In our village alone, no less than three dishes will be produced at the Löurnig spices festival in two days!"

"A spices festival?" Ussop inquired.

"Yes, it's an annual event", the mother of the young woman added. "Everyone can produce a dish or a dessert. The only condition is to use a spice in the preparation and the most original one wins the festival."

"What's the prize?" Nami immediately wanted to know.

"One of the rarest spices in the world", Iris replied. "Sarma!"

"Sarma?" Franky repeated. "Never heard of it."

"It seems to me that it's a mixture of several other spices, which proportions have been kept secret for centuries", the cook said. "I have already read about it but I've never seen it."

"That's right", Iris approved. "Apart from Löurnig, it's impossible to get some."

"It must be worth a fortune!" Nami got enthused. "Sanji-kun, you have to participate in this festival and win it! We can't afford to miss any opportunity now!"

The blond fluttered his eyelashes at the navigator.

"I'll do anything you want, Nami-san!"

Satisfied, the young woman grabbed her drink and took a sip of wine.

"This festival is in two days, right?" she continued. "How far is this island?"

"About three days by ship", Iris's father informed her.

"What?!"

Nami sprang from her chair, panicked.

"Hurry up, we're setting sail!" she barked at the others. "There's no time! Zoro, let go of that bottle! Luffy, put those buns down! Chopper, hurry up and eat this cake!"

In doing so, she pulled Brook and Franky out of their seats before pushing the others toward the exit. She was going to kick them out when Iris walked toward her with a bag in her hand.

"I wanted to thank you for everything you did. It's not that much but I hope you enjoy..."

The navigator glanced into the bag and her eyes lit up. It was full with berries notes.

"Oh, that's so sweet!" she danced.

"Are you sure?" Luffy asked as he approached. "You know, money belongs to you, Iris. It was you who did these paintings."

She took her hand and fervently squeezed it.

"This money comes from the painting you allowed me to take home. The mayor bought it from me just now to exhibit it in the city museum and with all the money the auction of my paintings brought back, we have more than enough for our whole life. Without you, nothing would have been possible. Please, accept."

"Yes, please, accept!" her navigator begged him.

Luffy looked at his new friend with a big smile.

"Well, in this case, that's okay!"

"Oh, yes!"

Nami threw herself into the arms of the captain who laughed with Iris.

"I love when Nami-san is so happy!" the cook melted.

"If we're talking about happy, she's happy", the cyborg added, shaking his head.

"It's weird that she's happier now than when we make it out alive", Ussop grumbled.

"In the euphoria of the moment, I'll take my chances!" Brook suddenly decided. "Nami-san, would you like to show me your panties?!"

"What do you think you're doing?!" Sanji got indignant, knocking him out with a kick. "Don't you dare take advantage of Nami-san when she's so beaming!"

"Brook, are you okay?!" the little reindeer panicked, rushing to his side.

"She didn't hear a thing", Zoro noted, watching her laugh in the captain's arms.

"She already is in seventh heaven", Robin confirmed with a smile.

* * *

 _It was fun to write this stampede!_

 _I hope you recognized your characters, and see you soon for their next adventures in the spices festival!_


	31. In the service of excellence

_Welcome aboard for the new readers.  
Enjoy your reading._

* * *

 **Chapter 31**

 **In the service of excellence**

The straw hat crew had waved goodbye from the Sunny's deck to Iris and her parents who had came to wish them bon voyage. Now the sun was going down and as they began to speed on the sea, Nami watched the Eternal-Pose that Iris' parents had provided her. She fully intended to make fly the ship to their next destination to arrive at the festival on time.

"Franky, we're going to use all the power of the Sunny. It usually takes three days to reach Löurnig Island and we have a day and a half."

"There are enough cola reserves for some Coups de Burst", the cyborg notified her.

"All the better, we'll need it to adjust according to the time we'll use."

She looked at the sky to size up the weather.

"Wind goes in our direction, we have to use it."

She then turned to her other traveling companions who were finally taking off their disguises.

"Take out all the sails and tighten them out as much as possible. The one on duty tonight will be in charge of keeping pace."

"It's me!" Brook informed enthusiastically.

"In this case, I'll entrust you with the Eternal-Pose so that you'll be sure of the direction", she concluded.

Everyone rushed to execute her orders, excited at the prospect of their next adventure and soon, the sails swollen by the wind made the Sunny glide at top speed. Shortly after, Luffy jumped on the figurehead and stretched out his arms, laughing, ready to fly away under the power of wind and sea forces combined. Ussop and Chopper met him as Franky was walking around the ship to make sure of its perfect integrity. He knew Nami would push the Sunny at full capacity and he wanted to be sure his ship wouldn't suffer. For their part, Robin and Brook shared a cup of tea and Zoro grabbed his dumbbells.

The navigator approached the cook who was staring at the sea, a cigarette in his hand. As sensing the presence of his princess, he turned to her with adoration before she even met him.

"Any ideas of what you're going to prepare?" she asked.

"I have lots of ideas, Nami-san!" the blond assured her, swirling around her. "I'm going to use my best spices just for you!"

"You'd better because I absolutely want to win the victory", she replied in a detached tone. "Despite the money Iris gave us, I feel weak and dispossessed. I need to win something."

"You can count on me, navigator of my heart!"

The young woman nodded and walked away with a sigh. She felt a little depressed and she wanted to provide the cook all the means to get ready at best so her morale wouldn't suffer anymore. She then promised herself to think about a plan so that he would be in peace the next day.

* * *

With the arrival of the night, activities calmed down. Luffy stayed on the figurehead with Chopper while Ussop and Brook sat in the grass around an invention of the sniper. The two girls had gone to bed and Franky was tinkering in his workshop while Sanji was nibbling his pen, forearms resting against the railing of the first floor, back to the door of his kitchen.

Zoro looked at him out of the corner of his eye from the deck as he put his dumbbells down, his forehead glistening with sweat. He was certain the cook had already written several recipes on his sheet of paper in anticipation of the festival. Sanji had claimed a little earlier he wanted to test recipes to make a choice and that the crew would be involved. Of course, Luffy had shouted with joy at the prospect of be used as a guinea pig for food.

The swordsman suddenly saw the blond get lost in the contemplation of the sea before going back to writing. His concentrated profile in the darkened atmosphere got a predatory smile out of him and he quickly wiped his face with a towel.

Leaving his merry mates, Zoro climbed the steps towards the cook. He didn't want to give him the opportunity to push him away so he leaned over his shoulder to see his sheet of paper as soon as he got up to him.

"Steamed sea bream with fragrant oil", he read. "Is that what you're gonna do?"

"I don't know yet", the blond replied, writing diligently.

"Strawberry sorbet with star anise", the fencer continued. "This looks weird..."

Sanji moved his shoulder to shift the swordsman bent over his back and Zoro smirked. He was sure his hot breath was tickling the neck of the cook and was distracting him. He voluntarily took his breath before sighing against him for a long time.

"All these recipes make me hungry..."

He felt the blond freeze and smiled a little wider. However, the latter turned to him with annoyance.

"I don't have time for fun tonight. Let me do my job."

He turned away again but Zoro didn't admit defeat and he glanced at his crewmates downstairs all thoroughly busy. He then ventured to put his lips against the neck of the cook and this one shivered but still stubbornly continued his work, unfazed. The fencer decided to go back to his left ear and bit it suggestively.

After a few moments, Sanji sighed and turned his head to him.

"Even if I had time, it wouldn't be happening, marimo."

"Why?" the swordsman wondered.

The cook quickly pointed out his hair with his chin while he resumed his writing.

"I can't, this color is too weird. I'd feel like I cheat on you."

Zoro felt his jaw drop in bewilderment. He then saw a mocking smile on the face of the blond although he didn't grow away from his work.

"You're not even a real marimo anymore, it looks like a more failed version of you", he simply added.

The fencer felt himself brutally seething.

"You darts bastard, you really think you're luckier than me on that one?!" he hissed.

"In this case, I am delighted to note that you're not here only for my good looks", the cook replied nonchalantly, continuing his task.

Zoro opened his mouth but no sound came out. Fortunately, Sanji didn't have his taste for fighting as sharp as usual and he didn't raise his head of his sheets of paper in front of the lack of repartee of the swordsman. Trying to regain his composure, he felt himself being slightly pushed away as the blond turned and stretched.

"Don't wait for me, Greenie."

Sanji kissed his cheek and headed for his kitchen before quietly closing the door behind him. Flabbergasted, the swordsman wiped it away at full speed, cheeks red. He then made sure no one had caught the cook's gesture towards him and he was relieved to see that everyone was continuing to talk normally downstairs.

Once he had got over the initial shock, Zoro groaned and went down the stairs towards the crow's nest. He felt ridiculous. This idiot cook always found a way to turn the situation to his advantage and he was now using their new relationship to get the upper hand. He should have known better. Sanji didn't stop at anything.

* * *

The next day after breakfast, Nami decreed the kitchen restricted area for the day. In front of the distraught look of her friends and the panicked one of the captain, she yet assured she would personally take care of bringing lunch, but she wanted the cook not to be disturbed under any circumstances. Delighted that the navigator would be the only one to get into his lair, Sanji immediately agreed with her while adding for the benefit of Robin that he would obviously make an exception for her too.

As expected, he had selected several recipes and the prospect of cooking without disturbance all day was particularly appealing. Nami then dragged her captain's dejected carcass to the deck and quickly, everyone followed suit. Soon, only the stabbing on the cutting board and the crackling of cooking resounded in the room while the owner of the place was following preparations with concentration.

Outside, the navigator decided to keep occupied her crewmates.

"Brook has maintained the course during the night, but we still have a lot of ground to catch up to be on time. I want all the sails to be stretched as much as possible to speed up the Coup de Burst Franky is going to launch."

At his side, the cyborg cheerfully approved.

"Reserves are pumped, we're going for a ride!"

Nami then glanced at her watch.

"Okay, in fifteen minutes you better catch hold of something. We won't stop for anyone if you fall into the water, we don't have time."

With these words, she went to the engine room with the engineer, and her friends sighed at her usual coldness towards them. Zoro and Luffy then climbed the masts to re-set the sails as Chopper, Brook and Ussop were running over the deck to secure the flying objects. For her part, Robin just watched them, smiling, before heading for the library.

* * *

Nami and the many hands of the archaeologist set the dishes down on the Sunny grass at lunchtime. Immediately, their companions plunged into the food and without the intervention of the cook, the meal turned into fistfight. Luffy had of course grabbed most of the dishes and was showing his teeth as Zoro was trying to get one out of him. Franky and Brook decided to catch all that was left and Chopper and Ussop tried to meander to get a share as long as the captain was busy watching the swordsman.

A little further, the girls enjoyed their plates in the shade of a parasol. Sanji had been careful to prepare a dish aside and they let the boys kill each other as they were chatting quietly. Thanks to the wind that was still in their favor and to the Coup de Burst, they had made good progress and Nami had shortened the sails during the meal.

As they were finishing desserts, Nami spotted a News Coo and she waved him to get the newspaper. After she picked it up, she turned the pages feverishly and eagerly read the article that interested her.

"They didn't make the connection with us, we're safe!" she summarized to Robin a few minutes later with satisfaction.

"I-Is that true? The-The Marine isn't looking for us?"

The navigator jumped, discovering the many hematomas adorning the face of the sniper who had asked this question. At his side, Chopper was also massaging his cheek and Luffy and Zoro were still punching themselves for a last piece of rice. As for Franky and Brook, they were relaxing on the sound of the musician's violin.

"What a bunch of savages", the young woman grunted before turning her attention back to Ussop. "No, it looks like our disguises has had the desired effect", she went on. "The theft of a part of the bid was released to the press but it's said research is directed towards six suspicious individuals with a mismatched look. They are thinking of artists from the circus world."

"Is there any mention of Iris?" Robin asked her.

"None. She was probably right when thinking the Celestial Dragon who kidnapped her wouldn't say anything for fear of losing his prestige with others."

"Good for her", the little reindeer approved. "I must say I was a little worried..."

Nami immediately got up from her chair and watched the sky again. She then headed for Luffy who was licking the last crumbs of his plate and for Zoro who was already falling asleep. She firmly slammed her fists on their heads and both smashed on the ground.

"Stop resting and get moving", she said. "Löurnig Island is still a long way off, so readjust the sails, we'll have a Coup de Burst again."

While the boys were hurrying up again, she helped Robin get the plates and cutlery back to the kitchen. She wanted to develop and evaluation grid to study as objectively as possible each dish of Sanji and she confided her idea to her friend who approved. Delighted, she decided to look very seriously at it as soon as the Coup de Burst would be done.

* * *

The crew had spent the rest of the day keeping an eye on the course and maintaining the speed under the navigator's uncompromising gaze. That's why, in the evening, everyone was eager to take comfort around the wonders their cook had simmered so lovingly. So nobody was missing when Sanji solemnly reopened the doors of his kitchen at dinner time.

Yet before everybody rushed inside, Nami positioned herself at the entrance and handed everyone a sheet of paper and a pen.

"Tonight you don't eat, you taste", she said. "Each dish will be evaluated for its flavor, originality, and texture. Then you'll put an overall mark and Sanji will be able to determine the best dish to produce tomorrow at the festival."

"You take it very seriously", Franky pointed out as he entered the room.

"When you want something, you find the means to do so", the young woman replied. "Now sit in silence."

Everyone sat around the table, running their eyes over their sheet of paper.

"Four categories", Ussop read. "To flavor. To awaken. To set fire. Sugars and spices."

"I made three dishes for each category", Sanji informed them while bringing large plates. "We'll start with the first category, "to flavor"."

"What's this?!" Luffy exclaimed. "Looks so good!"

"Sautéed jumbo prawns with coriander and ginger, rolls of beef with garlic and cumin, and scallops with saffron butter."

"Wow!" Brook, Chopper and Luffy marveled.

They were about to plunged into the dishes without further delay when Nami forcefully slammed a wooden spatula on their fingers.

"Don't forget you have to evaluate the performance, you're not here to stuff yourselves without thinking!"

In front of their grimaces of pain, she served each one a portion of the three dishes and then allowed them to eat. Luffy swallowed all his shares in one bite then faced his sheet of paper with a puzzled look. Nevertheless, he lent himself to the play and undertook to fill the boxes provided for this purpose with enthusiasm.

Sanji then brought the following three dishes.

"Category "to awaken", he said as he set them down."Chicken noodle salad with Jamaica pepper and green chili, sea curry with fenugreek, caraway and turmeric, and finally chickpeas with lamb, red chili and paprika."

Ussop licked his lips in anticipation and the cook gave out the portions while Nami was making sure everybody had finished to fill the first part.

Everyone then plunged into his plate and seemed to feast. Sanji wanted to ask them their impressions, but Brook beat him.

"I love sea curry!" he exclaimed.

"No comment to not influence others", Nami intervened.

The cook accepted the rule even though he was getting nervous. He was seeing on the faces of his crewmates that they seemed to enjoy his dishes but seeing them give a grade to his food was unusual and slightly stressful.

After a few minutes, Nami nodded him to bring the following dishes and he complied eagerly.

"Category "to set fire". Chicken fritters with Cayenne chili, Singapore crab with white and black peppers and vegetables tempura with wasabi."

"Great, I feel like I'm gonna love this category", Franky enjoyed.

Once the portions had been given out, everyone swallowed his plate and then conscientiously wrote down his impressions. The studious atmosphere made the cook smile and nod with satisfaction on the part of the navigator.

Finally, Sanji brought the last dishes.

"Spices desserts: raspberries and cardamom fondants, white chocolate and cinnamon mousse, and pistachio and ginger biscuits."

Chopper's eyes lit up and Sanji put the first plate down in front of him with a smile. He finished with the swordsman who cautiously looked over his desserts.

"I won't be soft with you, cook", he warned him.

"As if there was ever any doubt", the blond grumbled, sitting down a little further.

When everybody had finished tasting and writing, Nami continued the evaluation.

"Well, now everyone is going to choose the dish he prefers and describe why. Maybe a dish will stand out from the marks already. Any question?"

The captain raised his hand.

"Luffy?"

"I'm still hungry!" he got enthused.

"Irrelevant!" the navigator barked. "Brook, you go first."

The skeleton rose, cleared his throat and grabbed his notes while Sanji was bringing a large sandwich to his captain whose eyes sparkled with joy. The wise cook had guessed that his rapacious appetite wouldn't be satisfied by his tasting.

"My favorite dish was the sea curry", the musician declaimed. "The mixing of fishes and spices was perfectly divine and the creaminess of the coconut milk was moderating the firmness of seafood!"

Nami carefully wrote down his remarks and Sanji thanked the skeleton who sat down politely.

"Franky", the navigator said.

"I really loved the two-pepper crab", he explained. "It was highly-seasoned nicely and the crab was core-cooked just as I love it!"

"Okay", Nami wrote. "Ussop?"

The sniper bit his lip.

"I can't decide between the lamb chickpeas and the raspberries fondant", he began.

"I said only one dish so choose!" the redhead got annoyed.

The young man frowned, clearly undecided, before sighing.

"Well... I think the raspberries fondant was my favorite because I have a thing for raspberries and they were perfectly ripe. I was afraid I wouldn't like cardamom, but in fact it completes pleasantly the taste."

"Duly noted. Chopper."

The little reindeer raised panic-stricken eyes towards Sanji and the navigator.

"I-I can't choose!" he stammered.

"Why?" the cook wondered. "You didn't like anything?"

"Of course I liked it!" the doctor exclaimed. "I liked everything, that's the problem! I can't choose, it's too hard!"

Nami rolled her eyes, exasperated.

"You have five minutes to make a choice", she decided. "Zoro, your turn."

"Chili chicken fritters", the swordsman said.

"Okay. Why?"

The fencer shrugged.

"Just sayin'."

Nami glared at him.

"There must be a reason so spit it out", she growled.

"It was the least worst of all."

The navigator stared at him before she rolled her eyes and wrote down. For his part, Sanji began to seethe.

"You don't expect me to believe it's a default choice, marimo man?! There were 12 dishes on this fucking table, there must have been one you liked!"

"Calm down, cook", the fencer replied with a detached look. "I was asked to rate you and that's what I do. Fritters were passable 'cause at least, chili was hiding a bit of the chicken taste and it saved the dish."

Punctuating his reply with a broad smile, Zoro watched the blond's face gradually colored with red. He was willing to bet Sanji was expecting this kind of response but the effect was still there. As if he imagined a compliment from him about his food one day.

Conscious of this fact or not, the cook was about to jump on him when Nami distracted his attention by leaning towards the archaeologist at her side.

"What about you, Robin? What did you prefer?"

"The vegetables tempura with wasabi", the young woman quietly answered. "The wasabi bite was contrasting with the vegetables sweetness. This sharp dissonance was striking and it was welcome to bring out the true aroma the vegetables were containing."

"Thank you, Robin-chan! I'll do it again just for you!" the blond gushed.

"She was talking about the dish or a murder desire?" Franky asked Ussop who shook his head, defeated.

Nami wrote her friend's impressions and then turned to the captain.

"Luffy, your dish. And don't tell me all", she warned him with a threatening look.

"I loved the beef rolls!" he exclaimed with exaltation. "It was meat, it was too good!"

"Anything else that made you like this dish?" the young woman insisted.

The captain scratched his head for a few seconds before shrugging his shoulders.

"The sandwich's meat was too good too!"

"Okay, it's fine", the navigator muttered. "So, Chopper, did you find one?"

"I think so", the little reindeer acquiesced, who had filed all his notes with application. "My favorite dish was the white chocolate mousse! Even though I really liked the pistachio biscuits, the raspberries fondant and-"

"One dish", Nami told him off. "Why the mousse?"

"Because the texture was melting and aerial!" the doctor marveled. "Cinnamon was adding a spicy touch but the sweetness of the white chocolate was unique!"

"Perfect, Chopper. Thank you."

She finished writing before playing with her pen.

"For my part, I preferred the scallops with saffron butter. I found that the delicacy of the scallops was perfectly combining with the smoothness of the butter sauce and saffron was bringing a touch of freshness."

"We'll choose this dish, Nami-san!" the blond decided immediately.

She sighed and ignored his intervention.

"Nobody liked the same thing but it was to be expected. Depending on everyone's tastes, we all have different preferences. We'll have to study marks and remarks to average them by tomorrow. Can I count on you, Sanji-kun?"

"Of course, Nami-san! Let me do it!"

* * *

When the cook pushed the door of his room a few hours later, he had lost his enthusiasm and he sighed heavily. He couldn't determine the ideal recipe. The calculation of the average of his friends' marks hadn't helped him. If everyone was agreeing on the maximum mark about taste - apart from the shitty swordsman - texture and originality were connected to their personal preferences. No dish had stand out from the others.

Sanji glanced at the fencer sprawled out on the bed and snoring like a truck. That idiot. The blond then kicked him off the bed for the simple pleasure of blowing off steam in front of his too quiet look.

"You took up all the space", he placidly explained, setting his sheets of paper down when Zoro straightened up from the floor.

"You bastard!" the fencer roared. "You'll pay for this!"

Zoro grabbed his blades that were resting against the wall and got ready to pounce but the concerned look of the cook stopped him.

"What?" he growled.

"I don't know what to do for tomorrow", the blond confessed while sitting on the bed. "I can't find the best recipe. All the evaluations are positive but it's because flavor prevails..."

He then fell backwards and stared at the swordsman who was now appearing upside down from the other side of the bed. This one sighed and put his swords down again before moving forward on the bed until he saw him face to face, resting on his forearms above his head.

"Why don't you choose Nami's or Robin's dish, isn't it a safe bet for you?" he asked.

"I know their choice is the best but that's not the point", the blond got annoyed. "I am a chef, I must be able to go beyond personal tastes to gather them together on a dish. I must be able to create a unique and must-have flavor!"

Zoro watched him for a moment from his atypical position. He was feeling the torment fidget in the only visible eye of his crewmate and he bent down without thinking to put his lips on his. Surprised, Sanji nevertheless agreed to get caught up and he ran a hand through the blue hair above him.

After a few moments, the swordsman moved away and the blond opened his eyes again, his breathing slightly irregular. Zoro then moved forward until he could put his tongue on his skin in the hollow of his shirt and he sprinkled with small kisses the top of his chest.

"For me, every one of your dishes is unique", he mumbled. "You never do the same twice. I just prefer when you do something salty..."

Sanji felt the swordsman's kisses resume on his skin with delight and he ran his own hands over his partner's chest a few inches from him, feeling his muscles deliciously contracted under his tee-shirt.

"Salt isn't even a spice, marimo", he grunted. "It's a condiment, what do you want me to do with-"

The cook suddenly froze and the fencer stopped his kisses before shifting to the side to cast him a questioning glance. He was then violently pushed away as Sanji was jumping out of bed.

"What the hell is going on?" Zoro grumbled as he watched him gather his sheets of paper quickly.

"An idea! A fucking idea!" he exclaimed excitedly as he checked his notes.

"Can't it wait, your idea?" the swordsman muttered. "We were busy..."

"I owe you one, marimo, I swear."

Zoro just watched him in silence as the cook fixed his clothes in a hurry. He didn't like this new initiative but he accepted it. Cooking was Sanji's reason for living and he respected his passion just as much as the blond respected his dedication to his swords.

The door slammed shut, and the fencer lied down again with a sullen look, his groin painful. The cook better not forget his promise.

* * *

 _I really had fun writing this chapter and I hope the English translation for the French recipes is okay. These are real recipes from a little book called_ _Little spicy dishes_ _._

 _On the love side, I tried to go slowly with Sanji and Zoro, giving them time to discover each other from a different point of view._

 _See you next chapter for our dear cook's special dish!_


	32. Unmatched flavors

_Enjoy your reading._

 **Chapter 32**

 **Unmatched flavors**

When Löurnig Island appeared in sight the next day shortly after breakfast, the crew didn't hide his joy. The infernal pace imposed by the navigator had paid off and excitement was at its peak at the idea of being able to enjoy the festival.

A few minutes from landing, Sanji carefully arranged his dish. He was ready. He had spent a good part of the night refining his recipe to find the right amount of spices and he was now sufficiently satisfied with his work. Only the jury verdict remained.

His treasure thoroughly wrapped in a large plate, he went out on deck while his friends were already getting ashore in the small port largely filled. The festival was likely drawing a lot of people and they were joyfully calling out to one another from their ships, remembering anecdotes of the previous year and bragging about their spicy specialties.

As soon as the cook met his crewmates, Luffy clung on to him.

"What did you cooked, Sanji? What dish did you make? The one with meat?! Can I taste it?!"

The blond calmly got free and pulled on his cigarette.

"It's a unique recipe."

"Did you invent a new dish during the night?" Ussop wondered.

As Sanji was nodding, Franky sent him a huge push in the back that almost made him let go of his plate.

"That is devotion for your art! I'm sure it'll be super!" he exclaimed with enthusiasm.

"Your dishes are always the best, Sanji!" the little reindeer approved.

"You'll congratulate him when he wins", the navigator intervened. "For now, we need to quickly register him."

At these words, she firmly grabbed the cook's arm to pull him toward the entrance of the festival a few hundred meters away. This one liquefied at her touch and his dish nearly escaped him again.

"I'll follow you to the end of the world, Nami-san!" he got enthused while their crewmates were following them, cheerfully commenting on their surroundings.

* * *

"Competition is tough", Nami said, looking over the brochure with concern. "There are more than thirty dishes registered and some cooks are coming from very far away to take part in it."

The festival was stretching out on a hectare in a large field not far from the main city of the island. The sunny weather had attracted tourists but also local population of all the surrounding archipelagos and the atmosphere was friendly.

Sanji had found a place among the other participants of the contest on a long table. This one was taking place in two phases. First, a jury made up with three professional cooks was coming to taste the dishes and select five recipes then it was the turn of three amateur jurors randomly chosen among the population to designate the winner.

Sanji unpacked his dish and took out a small stove to keep it at the right temperature. Immediately, his crew gathered around him with excitement.

"Awesome, ham!" Luffy shouted in front of the assorted meal.

"Roasted potatoes, what a great idea!" Brook exclaimed.

"Spices smell all the way here", Robin noticed. "It looks delicious."

"Oh, thank you, Robin-chan!" the blond waddled.

"It's doesn't look original but the dish seems tasty", Nami approved. "Let's hope that's enough."

The tasting was supposed to last a good part of the day to allow the jury to walk around the participants and the crew agreed to meet for the final result in the late afternoon.

* * *

Nami and Robin decided to head to the historic path where each spice was showed according to its origin and its possible uses. The navigator was curious to see at what price rare spices were being traded and Robin wanted to learn more about their distribution among all the Grand Line islands.

For their part, the boys were instantly attracted to the food and drink stalls. While Brook and Chopper were interested in spices dedicated in desserts, Luffy didn't know which way to turn in front of all the flavors available and the amount of drool dripping from his mouth eventually dehydrated him. Ussop then took him to a stand and ordered him an assortment of spicy meat. Not far from them, Zoro discovered in astonishment an impressive amount of spice drinks and ordered a dozen beers.

Then they spot a picnic table a little away from the crowd and when the fencer put his many glasses down, Franky took off his sunglasses to better examine them.

"What is this?" he asked.

"Spice beers", the swordsman replied, knocking back a first mug.

He pulled a surprised face then shrugged.

"That one must have been the bitter orange peel. Weird"

He drank another and finally all the large cups on the table.

"You had time to enjoy it?" Ussop asked, jaded.

"It ain't worth a good old sake but it's not too bad", the swordsman replied before getting up.

"Where are you going?" the gunner wondered.

"Getting some more. I'm thirsty."

Ussop shook his head and finished his curry kebab while Luffy was asking him for a second round of spicy meat. For his part, Franky generously poured chili on his noodle dish.

When the fencer came back with a dozen new drinks, Brook and Chopper met them. The little reindeer was holding a huge bowl of spicy hot chocolate sprinkled with roasted marshmallows and Brook a huge glass of cinnamon milk. Everyone then enjoyed their purchase with appetite while looking forward to the upcoming contest.

* * *

Shortly before the hour of the results, the straw hat crew met as planned in the center of the festival where a podium had been put up in height. They pushed their way through the crowd to be as close as possible. Candidates were gathered behind the stage and Luffy widely waved at his cook busy raving about the dish of one of his competitors.

"He better win", Nami grumbled, munching in a ginger biscuit.

Soon, a man came forward and made a short introductory speech, praising the growing number of entrants each year and the exceptionally high level of this edition. He then made room for the jury which had the difficult task of choosing the five finalists of the day.

Nami tensed up as she heard the names of the first three candidates. At the fourth, she downright strained but fortunately, the fifth name was the one of their cook and at her side, the crew exclaimed loudly to congratulate him. Each finalist then set his dish down on the podium and the final jury stepped forward.

"Miss Lola presents cockerel stuffed with chili and lemongrass!" the host got enthused.

The audience clapped and the jury tasted her dish, nodding with satisfaction.

"Tony Des Plansha serves fettuccine with garlic and fresh chili!"

The crowd got on fire at the name of the competitor and Nami frowned when seeing the jury approve during their tasting. Obviously, this participant already had a good reputation and she immediately regarded him as a dangerous opponent.

"Mrs Kirtovsky brought a panna cotta with saffron and nutmeg!"

Again, the jury approached and tasted the dessert before noting down its appreciations.

"Sir Lortimer prepared a marinated salmon with juniper!"

Sir Lortimer's supporters screamed with joy and Nami gritted her teeth. She was hoping the jurors wouldn't be affected by the popularity of the candidates because some had many fans.

"And finally, Mister Prince concocted a country ham accompanied by his roasted potatoes with fenugreek and saffron!"

"Mister Prince?" Zoro grinded.

The navigator shrugged.

"We needed an alias so that we wouldn't be recognized."

The rest of the straw hat crew cheered loudly at their cook, and then silence came when the jury tasted the dish. Nami held her breath, seeing them exchange looks and then nodding before writing on their sheet of paper.

Then they went to a corner of the stage to discuss their impressions while the host was taking the opportunity to walk around some of the participant on the stands so that they could show their specialties.

Nami bit one of her nail, definitely nervous. Fortunately, after only a few minutes of deliberation, the jurors came back toward the host.

"It looks like we already have a winner", this one exclaimed. "I can see it was fast this year!"

"Choice seemed obvious to us", their spokesperson replied.

They handed their sheet of paper to the host who brought his mike closer.

"And the winner of the annual spices festival is... Mister Prince!"

The cook's crewmates jumped as one man, thrilled. The navigator's scream even covered the cheers of the crowd and Sanji charmingly waved back at her.

"We chose this recipe for its authenticity and simplicity", one of the jurors explained. "This dish is built in such a way that the flavor of the spices is enhanced among other ingredients. This main ingredient highlighting is simply amazing!"

The host nodded and presented the winner with the prize.

"This is one of the rarest spices in the world, sarma", he got enthused. "This secret mix of spices is our pride and I'm sure you'll make good use of it! A word about your recipe, Mister Prince?"

Sanji grabbed the mike with ease, looking radiant.

"I dedicate this victory to my two goddesses, who delight each one of my day!" he declaimed with passion. "This is for you, Nami-san and Robin-chan!"

The crowd got on fire at his declaration and seductive whistles were heard. Sanji then took the opportunity to describe his cooking that he viewed as a woman who had to be worshiped and cheers intensified as well as applause.

Among the crowd, Zoro rolled his eyes.

"What a spiel", he mumbled.

At his side, Nami and Ussop approved. As for Robin, she started laughing.

"Either way, our chef is in his element under spotlight!"

* * *

When the crew found Sanji about ten minutes later, he was busy answering questions from the many curious people who were crowding around him. Nevertheless, he immediately came and met his friends when he saw Nami and Robin among them.

"Congrats, buddy!" Franky immediately exclaimed.

"You were great!" Chopper said.

"And your speech was quite simply grandiose! I have never heard anything so true!" Brook added with emotion.

The blond was going to thank them when his captain intervened with a scowl.

"That's very nice to win prizes with your dish but we didn't even taste it!" he reproached him.

The cook's eyes sparkled and he picked up a plate filled with the winning recipe from his table. He served one share for each of his crewmates and waited impatiently for their verdict. He was always happy when his cooking was delighting the palace of strangers but the opinion of his friends remained the most important to him.

At first bite, Nami stared wide-eyed and put a hand to her mouth.

"My God, Sanji-kun! It's delicious!"

"It's divine!" Ussop agreed, totally captivated.

"Absolutely exquisite", Robin added.

"That's incredible!" Franky gushed. "How did you do?!"

"I seem to feel each spice in its entire splendor even though I have no taste buds or tongue!" the musician marveled.

"The dishes you made yesterday were already excellent, but now you've outdone yourself!" Chopper admired.

"You're awesome, Sanji!" his captain concluded, putting half the ham in his mouth.

The cook had a wide smile before glancing at the only crewmember who had remained silent. He then met Zoro's incredulous gaze on him and his victory was complete.

"I used the salt from the Aqua Laguna to bring out the spices taste", he explained, quietly lighting a cigarette.

"The Aqua Laguna salt?" Chopper wondered. "You mean the one you got when we left Water 7?"

"The same one", the blond replied, blowing his smoke. "I had already noticed the unique taste of this salt after the ground swell had passed and I picked up whole bags. This sea mixes the salt of all the seas, it's the same as the one on All Blue. It has incomparable nutritional and gustatory virtues."

"So salt is giving that taste to spices?"Franky asked.

"It's more of his mix with the other ingredients", the cook clarified. "At right dose, it reveals meat and potatoes aromas which in turn reinforce the one of the spices."

"That's brilliant!" Ussop exclaimed, shoving a new mouthful.

"It's salt then?" the swordsman repeated, visibly surprised.

Sanji turned his gaze on him, amused.

"Correct, marimo. Even though I can't put it everywhere, it's an often-needed ingredient."

Zoro then realized their last conversation was behind the cook's idea and he smirked at him, satisfied. Sanji took a drag of his cigarette again, his gaze still fixed on his, and his own smile widened as the fencer held his gaze in his turn.

Yet he was dragged out of their mute exchange by Luffy who was pulling on his sleeve to receive a new share of his dish. With a good mood, the blond agreed to serve him again and he laughed heartily with his friends at seeing his captain swallow his plate with relish.

* * *

After having enjoyed a few more stands, the crew had happily sat down in a restaurant in the city to celebrate the cook's victory at nightfall. By popular request, Nami had booked rooms in an inn and everyone was enjoying the evening to the full. Dishes were disappearing at breakneck speed and waiters were running to fill the plates quickly enough. This was a time of real celebration and drinks had been particularly generous. In addition, many inhabitants were coming to congratulate the cook who was offered endless rounds of cocktails and his vision was beginning to seriously blur.

Nevertheless, between Luffy's laughter and Brook's jokes, a sharp argument had begun between the navigator and the swordsman facing each other.

"How are we all in the same room?" Zoro grumbled who had emptied an umpteenth bottle.

"Two rooms for boys and one for me and Robin. We don't have enough money to afford the luxury of having our own rooms", Nami decreed. "Especially you."

"We just won this festival and Iris gave us money, that's not enough for you?!" the fencer rebelled.

The navigator firmly shook her head.

"We've barely made a few reserves, we're not gonna spend everything stupidly. Anyway, there's no way for you to be with Sanji-kun, you'll prevent the whole hotel from sleeping."

The cook who was absentmindedly listening to the conversation - as he was busy flirting with the waitresses - turned beet red while Ussop was gravely nodding next to him. For her part, Robin only smiled knowingly but fortunately Luffy, Chopper, Franky and Brook were too busy putting chopsticks in their noses and bawling for hearing.

"So what, you're frustrated?" Zoro retorted, undeterred. "Captain isn't doing his job?"

Sanji felt his cheeks flush even more if it was possible. Why did the marimo take so much pleasure in making innuendo about this subject and especially with Nami-san? He was going to put him in his place on this point when the navigator beat him.

"You wish. You have no idea what you can do with an elastic man."

On this one, Sanji turned at the same time as Zoro and Ussop toward the red-haired girl who was staring at the swordsman with confidence. The latter, obviously not expecting such a repartee, decided to risk everything.

"You're bluffing. Luffy's light years away from that."

"Wanna bet?"

Nami quietly gazed at her opponent, a hand casually playing with her cocktail glass. Zoro knew how much she could be devious and he hesitated.

"Okay. If I win, you pay us a room."

"And if you lose, it's you who pays the inn and the restaurant for everyone", the pretty redhead completed with a determined smile.

"Hey, you're not gonna display your sex life for a bet?" Ussop pointed out, appalled.

"For once, I agree with Ussop", the cook approved, uncomfortable.

"Mind your own business, you two!" the navigator cut them short. "It's between Zoro and me."

"And how are you going to settle this thorny question?" Robin cleverly asked them as Sanji was giving her a distress look.

He couldn't believe the beautiful archaeologist was adding to these topics!

"It's simple, we all know Luffy doesn't know how to lie so we'll ask him the question directly", Nami answered, not leaving the fencer's eyes.

"Sounds good", this one approved.

"No, you're serious?!" the gunner got alarmed. "There's Chopper here!"

"He won't hear anything cos there's nothing to hear", Zoro pointed out, sure of himself.

The navigator then turned to the captain and put her hand on his, which had the effect of making him swallow his last bite whole.

"Luffy, can you explain to Zoro what we did last night, please?"

"Well, yeah!"

Three faces more curious than the others aimed immediately towards him, hanging on his every word. The swordsman was confident, their captain was far too naive to have done anything. However, Nami's satisfied smile was disturbing him. Who knows what that witch had taught him, even in such a short time...

"We went to the crow's nest while Ussop was taking care of keeping watch over direction! Nami had something to show me!"

"What kind of something?" Zoro asked him.

Luffy shook his head.

"It's a private thing, I can't go into detail, I promised!"

The swordsman was going to protest when the red-haired woman intervened.

"You can tell, Luffy."

At these words, the straw hat boy had a huge smile.

"She showed me a lot of stuff I'd never seen before! It was weird at first, but after it was great and it lasted all night! At one point, we had to move because it was getting uncomfortable and it was hot! And then I had the idea to take us to the roof! It was even better and we were less hot!"

"Th-The roof?" Zoro stammered.

"Yeah, it was pretty cool! You should go with Sanji too!"

"Thank you, Luffy", the navigator concluded with a smile.

The fencer heavily plopped himself down on the bottom of his chair, defeated, and Nami gave him a sparkling smile before grabbing her cocktail. Ussop and Sanji were gaping and staring at their captain in a new light. As for Robin, she stifled a laugh as she was grabbing her glass of wine.

"I'll add the bills to your debt", the young woman summed up, winking at the man in front of her. "I hope you have a pleasant night."

"You're a fucking devil", the swordsman grumbled between his teeth.

* * *

"I can't believe you pinched my idea about salt", the swordsman suddenly pointed out to the cook.

The crew was heading toward the inn where Nami had reserved the rooms. It was far into the night and Sanji was feeling the effects of alcohol investing his body. His walk was slow but the fresh air did him some good. In fact, he and Zoro had ending up at the back of the group.

"You made a vague suggestion and I sublimated it", he corrected, lighting a cigarette. "Don't take credit for my victory, marimo."

The blond then blew his smoke toward the sky and suddenly froze. Zoro stopped in his turn and gave him a questioning look.

"What's up, darts?"

"Your hair. They're green again", the cook noted with a perfectly serious look.

The fencer rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, the dye has come off."

"That's good."

The blond resumed his walk as if nothing had happened but as soon as he arrived at the height of the swordsman, this one brutally pulled him in the adjacent alley before pressing him against the wall. Surprised and reflexes really reduced by alcohol, Sanji dropped his cigarette and took a second to realize what was happening when the hot lips of the fencer jumped on his. Nevertheless, he didn't lose much more time to answer him, their last days of forced abstinence feeling truly terrible.

After a few moments of burning kisses, the blond yet reluctantly pulled away from him.

"We've got to move, marimo", he whispered. "I don't know where this inn is..."

"I don't give a fuck about the inn", the man grunted in his neck, sending him delicious shivers.

"But... they'll wonder where we went", he tried again weakly.

"They'll understand by themselves. Besides, you have a promise to keep."

The swordsman pressed his body even more against the one of the cook, while nibbling the delicate skin of his shoulder he had begun to free from his clothes. He couldn't take it anymore. These last few days had been a nightmare, believing each time to be able to catch the blond, without success. He had put everything on this evening and he didn't want to wait another minute. So he began tearing the belt of his pants with one hand while the other was going up under the shirt's cook whose breathing sped up.

The wall of the alley was rough and wet in the back of Sanji and the fact that they were dimly lit soon urged him to open his eyes again.

"W-Wait... We can't do it here", he stopped him, gasping for air.

"Why not?"

"Because I don't have any exhibitionist tendency yet."

Zoro sighed and looked straight in his eyes.

"You got cash?" he asked him.

"Not enough for what you suggest."

"No way we postpone it again! I've waited too long and I've lost that stupid bet, that's enough!" the fencer got impatient, trying again to press his lips on his.

Sanji put his hands on his chest to stop him.

"I agree. Let's go back to the Sunny."

The swordsman nodded and grabbed the blond's arm to drag him behind him. Slightly haggard, Sanji fortunately realized quite quickly they were walking away more than they were getting closer to the port so it was he who guided his lover toward the ship.

Barely arrived on deck, Zoro pressed him again against the first wall he found and eagerly kissed him. Sanji was struggling to keep up with his pace, both drunk with desire and intoxicated with alcohol. The swordsman didn't seem to joke when he said he couldn't wait and the cook grabbed his shoulders as he felt his body squeeze more against his, pulling out a moan from him. Galvanized by this sound, the fencer redoubled his efforts going down to his neck and the blond suddenly tied his legs around his waist, strengthening the contact between their two crotches.

Zoro stifled a groan under the feeling intensity and groped for the nearest door handle. When he found it, he instinctively opened it and stumbled into the room, the cook still clinging to his hips and his arms tightly tied around his neck. He slammed the door behind them and found it was the aquarium. Without thinking, he leaned down until the blond's back was touching the softness of the red couch and then pressed his body to the maximum against the one of his crewmate.

Eyes clouded, Sanji answered with a barely concealed moan that electrified the swordsman. He didn't really understand the urgency his body was screaming at him but he didn't want to escape from it either so he got rid of his tee-shirt in a hurry and literally tore off the blond's shirt who was still panting in his ears. He felt him protest weakly at the treatment of his garment but stifled his complaint in a fiery kiss.

Maybe frustration was at its peak since he had seen the cook's sparkling smile after his victory. Perhaps it was the crowd who cheered him and among whom he has strutted like a star. Perhaps it was the prospect of knowing this body actually belonged only to him.

In any case, he wasn't going to let him catch his breath tonight. They had too much to make up.

* * *

"It seems our chief and our swordsman will not meet us after all", Robin noted.

The rest of the crew had reached the inn and Nami had given out the room keys. As the boys went to their beds upstairs, the girls had suddenly noticed the absence of Sanji and Zoro.

"They're probably busy finding a place to make up for their defeat", Nami snickered.

"I confess that I am curious about your story", her friend admitted. "I thought our captain would be a lot more innocent about it..."

The navigator shrugged. She knew she could trust the discretion of the archaeologist.

"He is. I showed him a shower of shooting stars last night, that's all. I thought it'd be an opportunity to create a romantic atmosphere but it didn't really work. He didn't stop hopping in all directions to show me each new star... The only compensation is that he's really too naive to understand the double meaning of what I asked him earlier."

Robin stifled a small laugh.

"Indeed, it seems like it worked somehow."

Nami nodded, smiling, as they walked up the steps.

"I'm telling you, Robin, there's nothing like the taste of victory."

* * *

 _A little time with Nami and Luffy is nice, isn't it?_

 _I hope you still like this story!_


	33. Gentleman

_Thanks to Guest and Oro08 for your reviews.  
Welcome aboard for the new readers._

 _Enjoy your reading._

 _Reply to anonymous review_

 _Guest_ _: there will be!_

* * *

 **Chapter 33**

 **Gentleman**

The next morning, Sanji slowly opened his eyes. He noticed he was back in his room when he remembered landing on the aquarium's huge couch the day before, but he suspected alcohol and fatigue had something to do with it. At his side, the swordsman was still sleeping and the sun was visibly already high outside. For once, he had enjoyed sleeping late. Delighted, he stretched pleasantly.

The cook then turned to the peacefully sleepy fencer who was facing him and contemplated him thoughtfully for several minutes. The days following their decision about their new relationship had been chaotic and he hadn't had time to think about the concrete implications of their choice. And so, he was only now becoming aware of the thousand questions that came with it. Just this morning, in this bed, he didn't know how to behave towards the swordsman.

Admitting a mutual attachment was one thing, living it on a daily basis was another one. All the expectations of an ordinary relationship seemed incongruous to him when he imagined realizing them with Zoro. Offering small gifts? The blond didn't see himself bring flowers to the fencer or even receive it from him. Holding hands? The swordsman had been clear he didn't want to hear about it. Kissing in front of their crewmates? At best, he would be entitled to a kiss on the sly. Finding him a less malicious nickname than those he was currently using? No way, he liked insulting him too much!

Sanji sighed. How would they live their relationship if nothing changed between them, except the words they had exchanged?

Finally, he thought about what he knew best: cooking. At mealtimes, he could still strive to show him a particular attention. This idea seemed a good start to him and, excited, he gently shook the swordsman in front of him.

"What do you want for breakfast, marimo-kun?"

The blond watched out for the fencer's reaction. It was just the two of them this morning so he could prepare whatever he wanted and enjoy it alone together. It was a rare enough occasion for him to seize it immediately. Unfortunately, Zoro mumbled something incomprehensible in his pillow before snoring heavily again.

Disappointed, Sanji shook him hard.

"Tell me what you wanna eat or I'm gonna make you swallow your swords, idiot!"

He then thought that threat may not be the best way to bring out an atmosphere suitable for the expression of their feelings. At the same time, talking to Zoro in this tone was natural to him and didn't seem to denote.

"Don't care, do what you want", the man grunted, showing him he was right not to worry about it.

The cook narrowed his eyes for a moment before getting up.

"You better be in the kitchen in twenty minutes 'cause I'm gonna make you the best breakfast of your life, marimo head."

It seemed to him that the swordsman had slightly straightened with his words, but he paid no more attention to it and went to the door as soon as his clothes were caught.

* * *

Sanji firmly stared at the fencer as he walked through the kitchen door on time. He was ready and waiting for him. He had worked out a precise tactic and he had motivated himself to the prospect of this new challenge. He had planned everything to the last detail for the meal to send the swordsman over the moon.

Proud of his strategy, he removed the cigarette butt from his mouth and waved at him to sit down with a confident smile.

"Rice balls, omelet and vegetable broth."

Zoro's eyes widened as he took place at the table and he eagerly grabbed the first dish Sanji handed him. The blond then brought the other plates and finally sat down facing him to nibble a little.

After a few moments of silence, the cook glanced at the fencer, who was much too busy swallowing the contents of his plate to look him back. Disregarding his terrible manners, the blond cleared his throat.

"So... you slept well?"

Sanji held back a sigh at the emptiness of his own question but Zoro didn't seem to mind.

"Yeah. You didn't have to wake me up so early though."

"So early? It's past ten o'clock!" the cook took offence.

The swordsman shrugged and greedily continued swallowing the rest of his perfectly cooked rice balls.

"You like it?" his crewmate dared to ask.

"It ain't bad. You put your magic salt?"

"No, not this time. I don't put it all the time, it's for special occasions."

"Too bad. Would have been better."

The cook frowned and considered giving a well-deserved clout to the unconscious swordsman. Yet he was beaten by his next question.

"What's this feast for, cook? That's not my birthday."

The blond rolled his eyes. He should have known the fencer wouldn't understand. He had noticed the meal was different but he wasn't able to make the slightest connection in his empty marimo head.

"What you think?" he grinded. "Am I not allowed to treat you for once?"

Zoro warily looked at him for a moment before putting a huge amount of omelet in his mouth.

"You are but knowing you, must be something behind it."

Trying his luck, the cook stared into the fencer's eyes as if to encourage him to continue his thinking and thus make him guess his true intention. Unfortunately, that didn't happen.

"At the same time, I don't know what's going on in a swirly eyebrows head. Must be something totally useless again", he concluded, shrugging.

This time, Sanji saw red.

"You bastard, I'm doing this for you, can't you see that?! You could just say thank you at least!"

Zoro swallowed his mouthful of rice and watered it with a sip of broth.

"Okay. Thank you."

The fencer went back to his meal without paying him any more attention and Sanji blankly stared at him. This attempt at conversation was quite simply pathetic. Zoro and he were miles away from enjoying each other's company, let alone romantically.

The plates just emptied, the swordsman pushed them away and got up. Sanji then watched him leave the room, looking off and cursing his own propensity to go to a lot of trouble for those who didn't deserve it. However, the door just closed, the fencer quickly reopened it and poked his head inside, causing him a glimmer of hope.

"You got a bottle for me? I'm gonna train and it's gonna be hot."

Zoro didn't understand why he got the bottle in his face, or why the cook suddenly looked so furious.

* * *

As expected, the rest of the crew came back shortly afterwards in a merry hubbub. Immediately, the usual agitation took its course and the swordsman stopped his training for a moment not to get punched by Luffy, Ussop and Brook who were running everywhere. He grabbed his swords and began to clean them carefully at the foot of the mast.

Robin, Franky and Chopper left to examine the little doctor's plants and especially the carnivorous plant that had had nothing to eat for two days. As for Nami, she wanted to settle down to read the newspaper when a blond tornado rushed towards her.

"Nami-san, you're absolutely radiant! May I offer you something to drink?!"

"It's true that I feel particularly in a good mood!" the navigator agreed with a dazzling smile. "Winning this contest and Zoro paying for the evening yesterday really cheered me up!"

She then looked up for the swordsman and waved delightfully at him as he was clenching his teeth, keeping his eyes stubbornly on his blades.

"I'd like a tangerine juice, please", she went on in the cook's direction.

"Right away, my princess!"

* * *

"Zoro, can I ask you something?"

Ussop had abandoned his two friends, who were laughing like madmen a little farther, and had advanced towards the fencer still focused on his swords. This one shrugged without looking at him.

"If you want to."

"Why are you letting your boyfriend coo at Nami's feet?"

"My what?" the man snarled, fixing a murderous gaze on him.

The sniper took a step back, immediately regretting his words.

"Sanji. Why do you let Sanji swoon over her?" he cautiously rephrased.

"I don't care."

"It's weird", Ussop continued, watching the cook dance around the navigator.

"What you want me to say? Manipulation is in her genetic and this moron believes she really appreciates him."

"Yeah but still... You're not jealous?"

"And why would I be?" the swordsman got annoyed.

"I thought that... Well, that you..."

"I don't know what you were thinking but obviously, you were wrong", the fencer cut him short.

"Ah... It's a free relationship, is that it?"

Zoro frowned. What a silly question! Of course he was free in his relationship with the cook or elsewhere, he had always been, and that would never change.

"Of course", he then replied confidently.

"Makes sense", the sniper mused. "But I didn't think Luffy and Nami were in the same situation. We think we know people and..."

He walked away and Zoro shrugged again. He hadn't understood his last remark but he didn't care.

Before continuing to clean up, he still glanced at Nami and Sanji, and realized why Ussop had called out to him. The blond was spinning around the navigator, setting a cushion down on her chair and giving her a drink, showing her the newspaper and urging her to sit down before asking what else she wanted with loud cries of love and pink hearts all over the place.

Zoro winced. It was disgusting. And to tell the truth, it was strange. The cook was always behaving this way with all the women they bumped into, and especially with Nami even more than with Robin because she at least had the decency not to take advantage of it too much. Why was he clinging to that harpy so hard? Zoro had never considered this excitement with the crew women despite his decision regarding their new relationship. He knew Robin and Nami and they rebuffed the cook whenever necessary. Nevertheless, his attitude was puzzling him at this moment. He should ask him the question at least...

* * *

The midday meal went as usual in the midst of shouts of bewilderment due to thefts of food and cheerful conversations. Sanji hadn't used his new spice yet and although he was dying to, he was ready to sacrifice it if Nami decided to sell it. For her happiness, absolutely nothing would prevent him from doing everything she thought necessary.

Since the Log-Pose was going to finish charging at the end of the day, it was decided to use the time they had left to refill supplies. Zoro was assigned to accompany Franky to get some cola, Brook and Sanji to go shopping for food, and Chopper, Luffy and Ussop wanted to search for insects for the hungry carnivorous plant. For their part, Nami and Robin decided to stay on the Sunny for the navigator to make the accounts.

As the crew had left the table and Sanji was going to tackle the dishes, the swordsman crossed the kitchen doorstep again.

"Franky wants to finish a repair before leaving, I got time for a drink."

Sanji thought of kicking him out because he was still angry at him for his casual attitude in the morning and then he changed his mind. On the one hand, he didn't want the fencer to know that he had tried so hard for him and on the other hand, seeing Nami's radiant face since her return to the Sunny was warming his heart. So he shrugged and nodded to him to help himself.

Zoro grabbed a drink and sat down at the table while the blond was searching his reserve.

"Tell me, cook, we were wondering something with Ussop this morning", the fencer nonchalantly said.

"What?" Sanji asked, handing him his bottle.

"Why do you need to crawl at the feet of all the chicks who passes by? Don't you have any pride?"

In spite of all his good will not to start a fight, the cook felt his heart skipped a beat and he sent his leg to the head of the swordsman who easily dodged it, smiling.

"Looks like a sensitive subject", the latter sneered.

"Why do you need to disrespect them?" Sanji got annoyed, glaring at him.

"I don't disrespect them, on the contrary. I treat them like the others because precisely, they don't need your pity", the swordsman calmly explained.

"I don't consider them inferior", the blond pointed out. "Look at Nami-san! So beautiful when she's in such a good mood! And Robin-chan, so strong her bounty exceeds the one of most men!"

Zoro rolled his eyes at so much enthusiasm.

"So what's your deal?"

"Isn't it obvious, marimo?" he got impatient. "Women are sophisticated human beings, they shouldn't have to suffer from hunger or heat! They're made to be worshiped and I'm here to serve them. Period."

"That's insane", Zoro summed up, totally jaded.

"I'm not asking you for your opinion. It'd have surprised me if you understood anything about it anyway", the blond swept, looking for a cigarette.

"And me, it'd have surprised me that you figured out you're being ridiculous and they take advantage of you", the swordsman grunted, folding his arms.

"I don't mind", the cook said, shrugging. "Real women worthy of the name recognize my values and my principles."

"That's not the case with Nami..."

"Don't talk rubbish!" Sanji barked, perfectly furious. "Nami-san is one of the smartest women of Grand Line!"

The fencer loudly sighed. This conversation was fruitless.

"So even if you have nothing in return, you'll continue to bend over backwards to each one of their wish?"

"That's right", the cook approved, lighting his cigarette. "You got a problem with it?"

"No. That's just stupid."

The cook shook his head, sorry.

"Maybe you'd like me to treat you like them, is that it?" he provoked him. "You're jealous?"

"If you do that, I cut you in half", Zoro seriously threatened him.

"So what are you complaining about?" the blond sneered, looking him up and down. "Come on, don't worry. You're still my favorite", he added with provocation.

"I'm not worried!" the fencer immediately got angry.

"Yeah, of course", Sanji laughed at him.

"I'm telling you I'm not worr-"

"Fine, I believe you, now get out!" he abruptly cut him short. "I have cocktails for Nami-san and Robin-chan to prepare before going shopping!"

"Fucking lunatic", the swordsman mumbled, taking the bottle with him.

Sanji watched him leave, diligently pulling on his cigarette. The fact that Zoro had fought back so strongly showed him he wasn't ready to admit his feelings. Never mind, he still had fun to provoke him.

* * *

Zoro yawned. He was far from his mandatory daily sleep quota and his body was a cruelly reminder. He hadn't been able to take a nap after his morning workout or after lunch when the digestion was heavily felt. The cyborg had quickly finished his repair and he had to swallow the rest of his bottle on the double while he was being dragged to the city.

Looking through the shop window, the fencer saw Franky negotiating the cola barrels price. He felt his eyelids getting a little heavier and he congratulated himself for staying outside. Not only the fresh air did him some good, but also he had no desire to chat with the merchant in his narrow shop. As Franky still seemed in the middle of a discussion, he decided to sit against the wall of the shop and close his eyes.

* * *

"Hey, sleepy head, I suspect you were quite busy during the night but we have to move."

Zoro opened a grouchy eye and saw the cyborg was now out of the store. Yet, he would have sworn to have closed his eyes only for a few seconds...

"Can't you handle it alone?" he mumbled, stretching himself.

"I'd like to but if I lost you, it'll delay us and cola doesn't wait. Can't let it stay warm for too long."

The swordsman stood up, cursing, and Franky winked at him as he grabbed the barrels at his side.

"Come on, I know what it's like to be in love! You always want to be with the other and he must exhaust you at night the little cook, but you still have to be operational during the day!"

Zoro froze, fingers a few inches from his barrels. He gazed with astonishment at the carpenter's mocking face and felt his cheeks burn.

"I don't wanna be stuck to this idiot all the time!" he took offense. "And just so you know I've always slept a lot! Were you there or your brain has fried, scrap head?!"

Losing his smile, Franky stared at him before sighing.

"Someone's testy today... Did you guys fight again or what?"

The fencer ignored him to avoid wanting punching him and grabbed four barrels before sinking into the crowd. The cyborg shook his head and muttered something about overly-touchy couples. He then hastened to join the swordsman who was already threatening to get lost.

* * *

When Sanji went back on deck to put away his last bags, he found that Franky and Ussop were loading the cola into the engine room and he went over to lend them a hand. The weight of the barrels was visibly hurting the sniper and when the cook took hold of it, he sighed with relief.

"By the way, did the temperamental boy go back to sleep?" Franky asked him, firmly steadying the barrels in their place.

"Who's that?" Sanji inquired, helping Ussop to move two others.

"The dude you call your man. Damn, he was furious earlier! I just made a joke about your business and he lost it!"

"Oh?"

"I bet he did", Ussop grumbled. "This morning, he downright sent me a death stare because I called you his boyfriend."

"It doesn't work out for him to be in love", the cyborg noted, shaking his head. "It's a shame, really..."

"Meh, you never know what's going on in his marimo head", Sanji summed up, shrugging.

"It's like Luffy", the gunner sighed. "He doesn't stop harassing Nami to show her the insects we caught for the plant. He doesn't get it scares her..."

"Oh, my God", Sanji grinded. "I hate insects..."

"It's clear that he's not gonna get credit with her like this", Franky agreed. "She downright threatened to push him into the water if he continued and I think she'll do it. This girl isn't kidding."

The sniper shook his head at the stupidity of some of his friends and the boys finished setting the huge barrels down before getting ready to weigh anchor.

* * *

The crew had gone to sea again after dinner. Luffy had also fed his plant and had locked the rest of his insects in a box in front of Nami's growing hysteria. He had nevertheless decided to keep his new friends in the boy's quarter and Sanji had never been so happy to have his own room.

So when he entered the room a little later, Zoro was already dozing on the bed, wearing only his pants. The swordsman had been grumpy all evening, and the blond suspected lack of sleep had something to do with it. Indeed, he couldn't recover after the cola purchases since Luffy had made the navigator scream at regular intervals, waking the fencer up on the verge of a heart attack each time.

The cook took off his jacket and his pack of cigarettes slipped to the floor. He then picked it up to contemplate it absentmindedly. Strangely, this was his first commitment with the marimo. No more smoking in their room. A first step towards cohabitation and mutual recognition of a space to share. Here, it wasn't about words, but the meaning was nonetheless strong on his part given his nicotine addiction.

Sanji turned to the swordsman. He had thought about the words of Franky and Ussop again and about his own questions. He was now wondering how much Zoro was taking responsibility for their new relationship and whether they would manage to make it live this way. He sat down on the bed and stared at the fencer.

"Is it gonna be our life now, marimo?"

The swordsman grunted and opened his eyes.

"Huh?"

"I was asking you if this is gonna be our life now."

Zoro blinked several times, totally lost. He didn't understand the cook's question. The only thought that crossed his mind was that he had to be cursed for fate to persist in keeping him awake at all costs. He ran a tired hand on his face and sighed.

"What are you talking about now..."

"Just today, you threatened Ussop and assaulted Franky when they talked about our relationship", the blond explained to him. "So I wonder if we'll spend the rest of our lives denying what we're feeling for each other in front of the others and even when we're alone."

Zoro rolled his eyes. These two poor little ones had had to come crying to the cook and now, it triggered him a new existential crisis. Great.

"Don't be so dramatic. I don't like it when they imply we're frolicking like lovebirds is all", he grumbled. "It's just... degrading."

"Using the word "boyfriend" is frolicking and degrading according to you?" Sanji stressed, puzzled.

"It is", the swordsman firmly replied.

"So if the crew knows we fuck in every corner, it doesn't bother you but if one of them refers to our feelings, it makes you feel uncomfortable?" the cook summed up.

The fencer took a moment to think before slowly nodding. Indeed, said like that, Sanji could have doubts about their relationship's quality. Yet he had never been so exposed to anyone and he hoped the cook wouldn't be too mad because he couldn't do anything about it. He was already walking on the tightrope regarding his commitment and he was learning to handle it day by day.

"I don't know how to interpret all of that", his crewmate sighed. "I mean we're supposed to have moved on to another step but in reality, nothing has changed. And I tried to make things happen in my own way this morning but I could see it didn't go very well..."

"This morning?" the swordsman wondered.

"Yeah. Breakfast."

Zoro turned his head to stare at him. So that was the hidden reason for this morning feast? He had wanted to make him happy to show him that he cared about their relationship? Damn, that sort of thing was totally out of his reach. In addition, he was willing to bet Sanji had put his whole soul in this attention. Was the blond going to wait for such acts from him? Was he only able to do it?

"Stop panicking, you idiot", Sanji intervened, pulling him out of his thoughts. "I just thought the two of us could share a quiet moment, that's all. Nothing to worry about, it's no big deal."

"Of course it is", the fencer replied. "I know it's important for you."

Sanji gave him a small smile before slowly shaking his head. At least the swordsman had understood something. He then realized his own attitude was the result of this unlikely relationship: he wanted to feel reassured. Yet he also knew Zoro wasn't comfortable with displays of affection, and apparently it even applied to terms describing their relationship.

Finally, he put his head on the fencer's chest and felt him tense. However, the cook remained silent, giving him time to get used to his touch. He trusted Zoro and he had clearly moved into uncharted territory for him so he had to be patient. They had to give themselves time to create new habits. They had to let things slowly evolve. Clumsy conversations and overly thoughtful behavior didn't suit them, so they would move forward in their own way and find the best path. Their path.

"I don't care what other people think, we'll do it at our own pace", he whispered as he kissed his scar.

Zoro gradually released his breath and finally put his right hand on the cook's hair who had settled down against his chest again. He didn't know what was going on in his blond head most of the time, but tonight he knew the cook was stepping aside to give him the space he needed and he was grateful.

Without thinking, he then ran his hand through the locks that slipped between his fingers. His feelings were still fleeting and fuzzy, but in those moments he felt they were getting stronger and he was learning more and more to enjoy them.

* * *

 _Each step can be an obstacle._

 _I truly believe it, it's not just to upset them I swear!_

 _Don't worry they'll - probably - make it ;)_


	34. Beneath the surface

_Thanks to ACloudyCat for your review._

 _Welcome aboard for the new readers.  
Enjoy your reading._

* * *

 **Chapter 34**

 **Beneath the surface**

Two days later, Nami pointed her binoculars at the ocean before searching the sky. She then turned her gaze on a part of the crew on deck, namely Ussop, Luffy, Franky and Brook.

"We are in an opposing currents zone there'll be a risk of rogue waves all day. Be careful", she warned them.

"We're gonna be shaken, awesome!" Luffy shouted as he hung on the figurehead.

The navigator rolled her eyes and went to the library after asking Franky to be at the helm. She didn't want to see their captain fall into the water with no other excuse than his impatience to see the waves.

Ussop stood against the rail and took out his own binoculars. He watched the sea for several minutes before pointing north.

"I see one!" he stated worriedly.

Franky turned to the indicated direction before shaking his head.

"It's very small. That kind of waves won't hurt the Sunny."

"Let's be careful though. Rogue waves are by definition treacherous", Brook pointed out.

For nearly half an hour, the friends remained on the alert but the ship was rarely hit by small jolts and soon, activities resumed quietly. In the middle of the morning, the doctor left the boys' quarter holding a big box between his little paws. He approached his crewmates cheerfully and called out to them.

"Luffy, I brought your box!" he showed him. "It's time!"

"How cool!" the captain got enthusiastic, rushing towards him.

"Chopper, be careful!" Ussop yelled, pointing to something behind him.

The poor reindeer tried to turn around to see the threat, but it was already too late. The Sunny was violently hit by a two meters high wave and Chopper was thrown against the rail under the impact. Fortunately, Luffy's elastic hand immediately wrapped around his body and prevented him from tipping overboard while his other arm secured them to the mast. For his part, Franky clung on to the helm and Ussop and Brook tried to hold on to each other before rolling on the deck.

As soon as the rolling faded, Chopper picked up the now empty box of insects that had fallen open.

"Oh, no, they escaped!" he exclaimed, horrified.

'You kidding?!" Ussop became alarmed. "Man, Nami's gonna kill us!"

He dived into the grass again, this time to pick up as many insects as possible. Brook, Chopper and Luffy quickly did the same while Franky was checking the hull's condition. The captain began to pursue ants and tried to put them in the box but the little animals were running everywhere on his hands and arms.

"We absolutely have to find them all", the gunner panicked, putting down a multicolored beetle and a locust.

"In addition, the poor plant wouldn't have enough food until the next island", the little doctor added with guilt as he was spotting a group of bugs.

"They won't get very far, we're on a ship", Brook thought, grabbing two butterflies.

"That's the problem", Franky growled, bringing in several grasshoppers. "They'll come out unexpectedly anywhere."

Suddenly, the library door opened and Nami stepped forward to inquire about the ship's condition. The cyborg immediately reassured her while his friends were speeding up their search, hoping the navigator wouldn't come and make sure herself. Fortunately, she seemed to trust Franky and she closed the door behind her after asking them to continue to be cautious.

The small group was heaving a sigh of relief when an expletive made them jump.

"Holy fucking shit, what the hell is that?!" the cook's voice yelled at the bottom of the steps.

Franky, Luffy, Ussop, Chopper and Brook followed his disgusted gaze fixed on a large moth. Immediately, the straw hat boy rushed to catch it.

"He's beautiful, don't you think?" he then showed him with a broad smile.

"No, it's absolutely repulsive", Sanji firmly replied, putting down his snacks to his crewmates.

"Food!" the captain shouted, eyes bright with excitement.

"Put the moth back in the box first", Franky said. "We're gonna have enough trouble to get them all back."

"What, you lost them?" the cook asked, worried.

"With the bump of the wave, the box fell", Chopper explained.

In front of the taken aback look of the blond, Ussop got the wrong idea.

"Don't worry, we know Nami hates insects and we'll do our best to find them as soon as possible. Just... don't tell her, please..."

Sanji suppressed a shudder but took advantage of his friend's mix-up.

"Hurry up, then. I won't tolerate that Nami-san suffers from your clumsiness."

"Consider it done!" the musician assured him. "We picked up everyone on deck and we are now going hunting on the rest of the ship!"

At these words, he grabbed a landing net while Luffy was applauding, his share of cake in his mouth. The cook didn't add anything and lit a cigarette to pretend to be at ease. He didn't want his fear of insects to be discovered so he shrugged his shoulders before going back to his den, nonetheless casting anxious glances around him.

* * *

The secret was discovered nearly two hours later when the crew had been called for lunch. As she was about to join the kitchen, Nami almost fell while discovering a huge caterpillar crawling on the steps. After the shock, she grabbed Ussop, who was coming in his turn and hit him with a broom until he picked up the creature and removed it of her sight. He was then forced to confess the accident of the morning and the navigator demanded that he inspects all the part leading to the kitchen.

At the mad cries of his lady, Sanji had of course turned up and he was also enlisted to inspect the kitchen thoroughly before the young woman enters. So the cook swallowed his fear and gave her a big reassuring smile as he complied. Fortunately for him, he only found a ladybug and some ants, which allowed him to get rid of it easily.

The meal took place in a tense atmosphere. The rolling of some waves a little more powerful was still felt but it wasn't what worried the navigator. The young woman was visibly hesitating between nervousness and anguish and she was regularly glancing around her. Luffy, Ussop, Brook and Chopper were trying to relax the atmosphere by talking cheerfully while Zoro, Robin and Franky were eating in silence, creating two perfectly distinct spaces around the table. For his part, Sanji wasn't as relaxed as he wanted to look and just like Nami, he was also on guard without seeming to.

Before the end of the meal, the atmosphere gets heavier. Indeed, Chopper had spotted a beetle and Brook had picked up another caterpillar. At each find however, Luffy had jumped for joy but he had soon became the only one to be really delighted. Nami was visibly turning pale and Ussop was shaking with fear she would get angry. Meanwhile, Sanji was clenching his teeth trying not to wince. After Franky removed a cockroach attracted by food from the table, Chopper offered the livid young woman to rest in her room and Robin decided to go with her.

As they went outside, the archaeologist suddenly warned her friend.

"Don't look to your left."

Irremediably, the navigator froze and turned in this direction before screaming in terror. Immediately, the rest of the crew barge in and Sanji watched in horror as a huge hairy spider moved in the sun on the wall of the kitchen. He felt his insides constrict and bit his tongue not to scream.

"What a gigantic creature!" Brook exclaimed.

"I didn't remember we had something like that", Franky wondered.

Sanji shuddered again and glanced at Zoro, who was already turning the corner of the kitchen to rest in the shade, totally ignoring the events.

Luffy laughed but Ussop elbowed him in the ribs.

"Go and help Nami by getting this spider, it will get you on her good side for once", he whispered.

His captain stared at him for a second with wide eyes before shrugging his shoulders and moving cheerfully towards the spider. Arrived alongside to it, he greeted it.

"I'm glad to see you again, I looked all over for you!"

"L-Luffy, p-please", the red-haired woman who had taken refuge behind Robin stammered.

"No problem!"

He grabbed the creature with his hand, which snatched a new scream from the navigator before Chopper showed him the box he went to get. He put it inside and turned to her, delighted.

"Here you go, she can't scare you anymore!"

Nami thanked him half-heartedly, her legs trembling, before heading to her room on the arm of her friend. She was probably too shaken to think about getting upset and Sanji understood her. He himself had sweaty palms watching this monster. He then took a deep breath to relax. He would have liked to be the one coming to the aid of the beautiful navigator, but obviously it would have required a superhuman effort. As long as they didn't find all the insects, he wouldn't rest easy either.

* * *

Dishes diverted a little the thoughts of the blond who believed to see appearing outlines of insects with each moving shadow from the corner of his eyes. When he had finished, he made coffee and was finally beginning to think of something else when in the middle of his cups ready to receive the hot liquid, a centipede twisted. He took a leap back and considered running for his life before reasoning. This insect was ugly and repulsive but it wasn't dangerous and he couldn't afford to call one of his crewmates to come and rescue him. He couldn't even believe that such a tiny being was bringing him down when he didn't back down in front of any enemy, no matter how strong he was.

He had been frozen for several minutes in his unhealthy contemplation, following with his eyes without being able to stop himself the centipede's progress, when the kitchen door opened and the gunner entered the room.

"Sanji, I've repaired the fishing net, how about fixing it? Sanji?"

The cook came out of his shock and shook it off. Plastering a confident smile on his lips, he nodded vigorously.

"No problem."

"Great!" the sniper got enthused. "The aquarium is really starting to be empty."

The blond approved and as Ussop was about to go away, he called him out in a voice he hoped was calm.

"Oh, while you're here. Can you bring that centipede home?"

Ussop followed his gaze to the table and broadly grinned.

"It can sneak everywhere these little beasts!"

He approached and grabbed it before returning to the cook in front of the door who instinctively moved back.

"Well... I'm gonna make coffee and I'll meet you there", he dodged, dashing to the coffee pot.

"See you later!" his friend cheerfully said before going out.

* * *

Ussop showed the cook the fasteners of the net and how to lash it to the Sunny. Franky had stopped the ship to make it easier but the waves were still a bit treacherous. However, Sanji assured the gunner it wouldn't be a problem. After listening to his last recommendations, the blond was about to dive when the swordsman appeared at his side.

"Move it, stupid eyebrows."

"What you want?" he grinded. "You'll have to wait till I get back if you wanna drink."

"Shut up and don't just stand there. I've no time to waste."

At these words, he took off his tee-shirt and put down his swords while Ussop was handing him the other end of the net.

"Marimo is coming too?" the cook understood with disappointment.

"It'll be easier if you tie it up together", the sniper approved.

"I don't need you", the blond still grinded, turning to the man. "I'm much better swimmer."

"Wanna bet, shitty cook?" the other snarled in return.

"No problem, greenie!" Sanji roared, fixing his gaze on his with provocation. "I bet you I've got time to tie the end of my net even before you dive!"

"You're gonna choke before you get to the surface cos of your lungs condition, swirly!" Zoro replied in the same tone.

"Uh, guys", Ussop tried to intervene. "Also pay attention to Sea Kings, we can't predict their appearance..."

"It's okay, Ussop, don't worry. I got this."

Sanji got rid of his shirt and grabbed his side of the net before staring down at the fencer. Zoro grabbed his own side and looked at him. It was a challenge and it would be taken up.

"As soon as the ends are secured, raise the net so that it can be positioned just below the surface. It should be enough to..."

The gunner had no time to finish his sentence that the two rivals had dived and he gazed for a moment at the sea with surprise before shrugging. Even a Sea King wouldn't dare to attack them now.

* * *

Sanji came out of the water a few minutes later and was pleased to see he was the first to reach the surface. He hoisted himself up until the water was on his waist against the hull of the Sunny and checked the knots. When Zoro appeared from the water a few moments later, he greeted him with a sparkling smile.

"I won, Cactus-kun."

"That's what you want to think."

The swordsman hoisted himself up in his turn and the net came up, leaving just a little water to hide it to capture fishes that would venture there.

"You sure you correctly fixed the end?" he asked, pointing to a looser side of the net.

The blond frowned and reflexively tightened the net.

"It's perfectly fix-"

His words died on his lips when those of the fencer settle on his.

"Cheater", the cook snickered.

"Liar", the swordsman replied with a smirk.

"Why?" he wondered.

"You're afraid of those fucking insects."

Sanji tensed up against the fencer's chest and frowned. He cursed this fool to be so attentive under his devil-may-care attitude. If he needed someone to notice, it was definitely not him. Clinging to the net on the side of the Sunny, the blond tried to struggle but he was stuck.

"I'm not afraid of these things", he mumbled in desperation.

"Liar", the swordsman repeated, going down to his neck.

"Shut up, moron."

Despite his annoyance, the hot body of the fencer against his was nice. The sun was shining but the water was cool and the contrast was striking. He closed his eyes to enjoy the soft lips that sensually ran through him. At least in the meantime, he wasn't thinking about these abominable bugs...

* * *

Sanji sighed. His swimming did him a lot of good but as soon as he had come back to the Sunny, his fear of crossing other insects had reappeared. He had resolved not to be impressed and had prepared drinks for his friends, including two beautiful cocktails to please the girls.

As he pushed the kitchen door out, he looked around for the fencer. After their salty kisses, Zoro had tried to step up a gear and the blond had taken advantage of a wave a little stronger to push his head into the water in revenge. He then had hurried to go back up while the swordsman was hanging on the net for long minutes. When he had finally come back to the Sunny, his aura threatening, the rest of the crew had carefully stood at a distance and Sanji hadn't moved of his kitchen. Not only was he afraid of coming face to face with a new insect but he was also upset that Zoro had noticed his weakness and he didn't want to see him for the moment. Yet being a cook compelled him to do so.

As he walked to the girls' quarter to serve them first, Sanji spotted Robin on her deckchair near the tangerine trees and he walked over, twirling.

"Robin-chan, I prepared you a deliciously refreshing drink made from pink grapefruit!"

He handed her the glass and the archaeologist grabbed it with a smile. He then looked for the other woman of the crew, and Robin pointed the mast out to him.

"I think our navigator stayed close to the boys to feel safe."

"What happened?" the blond worried.

"Two big cicadas landed on the room's windows earlier and she couldn't stand it."

"Poor Nami-san!" the cook exclaimed.

After making sure the young brunette didn't need anything, he promised her to be at her disposal if she also wanted to be protected. Strangely, Robin thanked him in such a way that Sanji thought she had guessed his real feelings about these bugs and he made off to the front deck without asking for more.

Downstairs, he quickly spotted Ussop, Franky, Brook, Chopper and Luffy sitting in a circle and playing cards on the grass. He then noticed that Nami had fallen asleep against his captain. Obviously too scared, she had clung to him and the latter held her with his right hand against him while his elastic hand allowed him to quietly continue playing.

However, as soon as he saw his cook, his eyes sparkled with joy.

"Snack!" he got enthused.

"Don't move, you idiot. You'll wake her up."

Luffy froze before seriously nodding. He then stretched his other arm to the cook's tray to claim his drink. With a sigh, Sanji handed it to him and then gave out the drinks to the others who thanked him. He finally slowly set down Nami's on the small table.

"Have you seen other insects?" he asked.

"Another cockroach and two worms", Brook told him.

"We almost got 'em all back", Ussop confirmed, dealing out the cards.

"Thank God", the blond grumbled.

He then left them to go to the swordsman who was quietly snoring against the aquarium's door and he stared at him for a moment in silence. He'll be waiting for a while before he could take refuge in his arms in front of their friends. At the same time, he wasn't sure he wanted it either. He didn't want to lose a shred of power in front of the fencer despite his fear, but in those moments, he wondered if feeling his presence near him could be enough to reassure him a little. A normal relationship should have given him the opportunity to rely on his partner in this situation. Only thing is, his pride was standing in his way. Besides, he was pretty sure Zoro would reproach him to feel sorry for himself if he told him the extent of his fear.

Sighing, he kicked him in the ribs to wake him up.

"Fucking darts eyebrow!" the swordsman exclaimed while sitting up, furious. "Why did you do that for, bastard?!"

"It's time for hydration, marimo. You're drying out."

The fencer snatched the glass from his hands in a bad mood and knocked it back before throwing it to him.

"Now get the fuck outta here."

Sanji willingly turned on his heels. That was the kind of conversation that was more like them. They were far from being able to speak in a civilized way so he could forget about a possible concern for one another.

* * *

"Aaahhhh!"

Sanji took a two meters leap backward and hit the kitchen table. He lost his balance and the contents of his saucepan came dangerously close to the edges. Wanting to catch hold of it, he leaned too fast forward and stumbled over the chairs. The sauce flew into the air, his feet got tangled and he fell on the floor in his turn. When he straightened up, he found his preparation was ruined and his pants too.

Zoro chose to turn up right that second, his blades out.

"What's wrong?" he asked, frowning.

Sanji felt himself snapped. He had tried all day to do like nothing happened and he thought he had managed to do so when seeing dinner time approaching but right now, he was losing it. He hated that the fencer had turn up but he didn't really have the strength to pretend, especially since he knew Zoro had seen through him. So he looked up at the huge blue and green beetle that quietly lay on the wall above his sink.

"Take that thing away", he asked as he stood up.

The swordsman followed his gaze and lowered his blades when he spotted it.

"Seriously, cook?" he grumbled. "I thought you were at least getting sliced up with your scream."

"Shut up and kicked it out of my kitchen, marimo swordsman!" the blond got annoyed.

"I thought you weren't scared?" Zoro insisted with a mocking smile.

"Just get it out, okay?"

Sanji was trying to wipe the damage on his clothes and the swordsman shrugged. He approached the enemy and grabbed it, imprisoning it in his hand since he didn't have the box at his disposal. Seeing him, the cook nearly made another heart attack.

"Don't grab it like that, you moron!" he chocked.

"Why?" he grunted, turning to him. "You wanted me to take it out!"

The cook turned pale and stepped back in spite of himself.

"Fuck, don't come near me!"

The swordsman's smile worried him. With horror, he saw the fencer take another step in his direction.

"Stop", he warned him in a voice he hoped would be firm.

"Or what?" the swordsman nonchalantly asked as he was approaching.

"I'm just asking you to put it in his box", the blond tried again.

"Don't wanna."

Zoro took another step forward and Sanji moved back until he hit the wall with his back. As the fencer's smile was widening, the cook felt the panic come over him.

"Beg me."

Sanji stared at him for a second in astonishment. It was clear he was scared to death but that wasn't enough for the fencer? On top, he wanted to humiliate him? He couldn't believe it.

"Fuck you", he spat, his hands shaking.

Zoro approached his hand that contained the beetle close to his face and Sanji heard the messy beating of the insect's wings in his prison. His heart leaped in his chest and he thought he was going to faint. He then cursed himself for being so weak facing an animal he knew was harmless to him, and he cursed the swordsman even more for taking advantage of his fear. He glared at him in fury.

"You're an asshole, Zoro."

The fencer frowned. The cook's eyes were bursting with rage but his voice was chopped. He watched him more closely and saw that he was shaking. He lowered his hand.

"I was kidding, cook."

"Yeah, sure."

The blond violently pushed him and the swordsman stumbled backwards. He then saw the cook heading for the door and running away from the kitchen, slamming it against the wall.

* * *

The evening had allowed the navigator to find some peace. Her friends had assured her all the insects had returned to the box and she was starting to really relax after all these hours of anxiety. Moreover, she had noticed that the aquarium had been filled and that the waves hadn't damaged the ship. She then savored their cook's delicious meal as she listened to the rest of the crew discussing their own fears.

"For my part, I hate monsters!" Chopper said. "And especially Sea Kings!"

"Personally, I'm not afraid of monsters but I don't find them very welcoming", Ussop began.

Franky burst out laughing.

"You're the biggest coward I've ever known!" he scoffed at him. "Tell us what you're not afraid of, it'll be faster!"

Everyone laughed and the gunner scowled before the cyborg tried to relax him.

"Personally, I hate people without clothing style", he said as he knocked back his drink.

"It's not a fear," Nami noted.

"She's right", the sniper grunted. "It's your taste, that's all."

"Not at all!" the cyborg insisted. "Clothes too loose, for example. Well, they conceal people's personalities and then we don't know what to expect, that's creepy!"

Luffy burst out laughing and Ussop rolled his eyes.

"For my part, I'm terrified of ghosts and living dead!" Brook confided, shivering.

"That's a tough break for you", Zoro pointed out, jaded.

"You got that right!" the musician said.

"What about you, Robin?" the reindeer suddenly asked. "Are you afraid of something?"

The young woman thought for a moment.

"I do not like crowds", she finally answered.

"It's true that crowd movement are unpredictable", Nami agreed. "It can be very dangerous."

"I'm afraid there's nothing left to eat!" the straw hat boy suddenly exclaimed very seriously.

His friends stared at him for a second before bursting out laughing again. Sanji then came near him and patted his shoulder before serving him fish again.

"I'll always do my best so that your worst nightmare won't come true, Captain. You can count on me", he solemnly declared.

"You're the coolest!" Luffy yelled back, swallowing his share.

"What about you, master chef?" Robin asked him. "A hidden fear?"

The blond bit his lips before sighing.

"Well, I admit I'm not a fan of insects either..."

"Fear of insects is a very common phobia", Chopper said.

"I didn't say it was a phobia", he mumbled. "But I don't like them, that's for sure."

"And you, Zoro? What are you afraid of?" Luffy wanted to know, turning to the swordsman who was quietly having dinner.

This one shrugged and continued to eat.

"I'm sure you're scared of losing yourself and never finding your way again", Nami snickered.

"Or that we invent something that would keep you from sleeping!" Franky sneered.

Everyone laughed again and dinner continued cheerfully.

* * *

Sanji went to the back of the ship and lit a cigarette before leaning on the rail. The newfound good mood had made the straw hat crew want to party and Brook had come his violin out. Musical notes nicely reached him and the laughs of his friends were another pleasant sound to hear but the blond wasn't in the mood for fun tonight. He was still reeling from the shock of the swordsman's attitude towards him and had quickly needed to be alone a little bit.

He spent a few moments staring at the starry sky and the darkened ocean before footsteps pulled him out of his contemplation. Recognizing it, he frowned.

"Leave me alone."

The footsteps stopped, proof that Zoro had stopped a few steps away.

"I told you I was joking", the swordsman simply said.

The blond suddenly turned, glaring at him. All his fury was coming back to him when the fencer was mentioning this episode so casually.

"And you didn't see I wasn't?!" he spat.

"I didn't think you were so scared", the swordsman replied.

"For god's sake, shut the fuck up!"

The cook violently turned towards the open sea, perfectly sickened. Yes, he was irrepressibly afraid of insects and he was feeling so stupid at this sad fact. To show a weakness. To have to admit it. That Zoro knowingly takes advantage of it.

"Why are you acting like that?" the swordsman suddenly asked him as he got closer. "We all have fears."

Sanji dragged harder on his cigarette. Yes, everyone had a weak spot but not the great swordsman that nothing seemed to stop or even scare. And that difference between them was hurting him. There was nothing worse than to find that he was feeling inferior to the fencer. Except perhaps the fact that it was revealing another fear in him: to think that Zoro didn't find he was worthy.

"You having a good time belittling me, don't you?" he grinded at him.

"What are you talking about? I told you if I'd known, I wouldn't have done it", the fencer scowled.

"Of course", the blond sneered. "Why would the great Roronoa Zoro missed the opportunity to show the world he's not afraid of anything?"

At these words, the swordsman grabbed the cook by the shoulder and brutally turned him before fixing his dark gaze on his.

"What's your problem, stupid?" he snarled. "You want me to tell you my worst nightmares so you can enjoy it, is that it?" You'd feel better if you could make me pay?"

Sanji tried to get free, looking away. Deep down, he was angry but especially against himself. He knew Zoro hadn't wanted to belittle him deliberately, his reaction had proved it. His pride simply couldn't stand being so weak in front of him.

"No, you moron. It's just that... what you did... it was humiliating", he finally mumbled.

He sighed and finished his cigarette before throwing it away. When he looked up, the swordsman's gaze was still on him.

"I'm sorry."

Sanji shook his head, embarrassed by the sincerity of his declaration.

"I know, it's fine. Let's forget it, okay?"

Zoro pulled him in a brutal embrace against him. In shock, the cook didn't immediately notice he was speaking again.

"I'm scared too sometimes. It's just that my fear doesn't' lie in things like insects or crowds."

He got free a little and stared at the blond who was listening to him in amazement. He sighed before shaking his head.

"My only fear is to not keep the promise I made to myself and that I made to Kuina. To not become the best swordsman in the world."

He then took a step back and Sanji saw him looking in the distance.

"The rest doesn't matter."

He then turned his attention to the cook's figure and this one felt himself shudder.

"Come back now. Luffy is wondering where you've been."

The fencer left the deck and the blond followed him with his eyes, still under the effect of his contact and words. He was feeling reassured but also surprisingly upset at the same time. As the wind rose, Sanji felt again the distance that still stood between him and the swordsman.

 _"The rest doesn't matter."_

He knew Zoro had confided in him and that definitely was a step forward between them. He also knew the swordsman was referring to his fears at that moment, but still, this sentence strangely resonated in him. Although he refuses to admit it, the swordsman's attitude could frustrate him in his way of appearing sometimes elusive and out of his reach.

Sanji sighed. The patience he had promised to the fencer was a quality he didn't possess. He then hoped to have the strength to stick to it.

* * *

 _This chapter wavers between a lot of emotions and I wanted to finish it with a half-tone, like their relationship now. Ups and downs according to the situations._

 _I hope you enjoy the journey._

 _See you soon._


End file.
